Jrue Holliday had 16 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for his second career triple-double for the 76ers, who are 2-7 in the second half of back-to-back games. Dorell Wright and Thaddeus Young had 14 points apiece for Philadelphia.

Holliday found Wright breaking down the left baseline from halfcourt for an alley-oop layup that pulled the 76ers within 87-85 with 2:16 to go.

But Dragic made a pair of free throws, P.J. Tucker hit a 16-footer and the 76ers turned the ball over twice over the next minute as the Suns opened a 91-85 lead.Courtesy of: http://www.foxnews.com

Lucas Tischer could join Penarol, ex Brasilia - by Eurobasket News

Penarol Mar del Plata (LigaA) is close to sign 30-year old Brazilian ex-international center Lucas Tischer (208-100kg-83) who played last time at Uniceub/BRB/Brasilia in Brazil. In only one NBB game this season he had 5 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists. Tischer won Brazilian National League championship title for two years in a row (2011 and 2012).Among other achievements he received Latinbasket.com All-Brazilian National League Most Improved Player of the Year award back in 2005. Tischer was a member of Brazilian Senior National Team back in 2006.He is a very experienced player. Tischer has played also professionally in Israel (Galil Gilboa), Italy, NBA (Phoenix Suns) and Brazil (Minas, COC Ribeirao, Araraquara, Sao Jose and Assis Basket).

By Eurobasket Data Center

Obras tab Kyle Lamonte - by Eurobasket News

Obras Sanitarias Buenos Aires (LigaA) inked 29-year old American guard Kyle Lamonte (191-84, college: William Carey). He played recently at La Union (LigaA). In 18 games this season he recorded 13.1ppg, 2.9rpg, 2.1apg and 1.1spg. The last season Lamonte played at Penarol. In 45 LigaA games last year he averaged 12.0ppg, 2.6rpg and 1.5apg. He helped them to win the league title. The previous (10-11) season Lamonte played at Flamengo in Brazilian NBB. he was selected to Argentinian LigaA All-Star Game in 2012.Lamonte has played also professionally in Turkey (Banvit Basketbol Kulubu), Uruguay (Aguada) and USBA (Atlanta Platinum).Worth to mention he played also at Eurobasket Summer League, which helped him to get the job in pro basketball. He attended William Carey University until 2008 and it will be his fifth season in pro basketball.

By Eurobasket Data Center

Hornsby leaves 9 de Julio - by Eurobasket News

31-year old American forward Robert Hornsby (201-F-82, college: Troy) left 9 de Julio Rio Tercero (LigaA). In 22 games he played this season he averaged 11.9ppg, 3.7rpg, 1.2apg and 1.2spg. Hornsby also played at Atenas earlier that season. In 6 LigaA games this year he had 11.0ppg, 2.3rpg and 1.0spg.The last summer he played at Tijuana Zonkeys in Mexican CIBACOPA. In 17 games he had very impressive stats: 20.1ppg, 6.4rpg, 4.6apg and 1.5spg. He helped them to make it to the semifinals. It was a very successful season in his career as he was selected to Latinbasket.com All-Mexican LNBP 2nd Team. The other team Hornsby played shortly was Pioneros in LNBP. He can count that season as a very successful as was selected to Latinbasket.com All-Mexican LNBP 2nd Team. Another team he played that season for was Huracanes in LNBP. In 48 games last season he had also great stats: 16.5ppg, 4.8rpg, 3.2apg and 1.5spg. He contributed to his team making it to the semifinals. He can count that season as a very successful as was selected to Latinbasket.com All-Mexican LNBP 2nd Team.The previous (2011) summer Hornsby played at Fuerza Guinda Nogales in CIBACOPA. In 5 games he had also great stats: 16.2ppg, 3.4rpg, 2.8apg and 1.2bpg.He won Liga Americas championship title in 2012.Hornsby has played previously for three other Mexican teams: Correcaminos, Vaqueros and Caballeros de Culiacan.He attended Troy University until 2005 and it is his eighth season in pro basketball.

By Eurobasket Data Center (via @PickandRollWeb)

LaVell Blanchard agreed terms with 9 de Julio - by Eurobasket News

9 de Julio Rio Tercero (LigaA) inked 32-year old American forward LaVell Blanchard (201-F-81, college: Michigan). He played recently at Wuber-Est.Bahia (LigaA). In 20 games this season he recorded 13.3ppg and 6.4rpg. The last summer he played at Santa Cruz/Rados/Pioneer in Brazilian Gaucha. Blanchard also played at Torpan Pojat in Finnish Korisliiga earlier that season. In 29 games that year he averaged impressive 19.4ppg, 9.0rpg and 1.4apg. He helped them to make it to the cup final.Among other achievements Blanchard played in the final of Bosnia and Herzegovina League in 2010. He received also Eurobasket.com All-Bosnia and Herzegovina League Honorable Mention award back in 2010.Blanchard was a member of USA U21 National Team in 2001.He is a very experienced player. Blanchard has played also professionally in Cyprus (Proteas Danoi AEL Limassol), France (Stade Clermont), Germany (EWE Baskets), Italy (Reggio C. Redel), Ukraine (Khimik) and Bosnia (Igokea).He attended University of Michigan until 2003 and it will be his tenth season in pro basketball.

Saigon Heat continued their preparations for the upcoming ASEAN League season. They tipped off the test series against Sichuan Blue Whales with victory. The Heat clinched an 87:72 victory at the Tan Binh Stadium. Dior Lowhorn (201-F-87, college: USF) fired 28 points to pace the hosts. Saigon jumped to an early lead. They stayed in charge throughout the first half. The Heat recorded a 54:30 halftime advantage. The Blue Whales managed to restore the intrigue in the second half. They narrowed the deficit at 8-point mark in the second part of the game. However the Heat stayed calm and executed to perfection in the key moments to seal the victory. David Palmer (206-F/C-86, college: N.Kentucky) delivered 21 points and 12 rebounds for the winners. Philip Morrison provided 20 points for the home team. Zhang Zeng Hu responded with 20 points for Sichuan.

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AUSTRALIA

Pioneers sign 6'11" Townsville big man Ben Allen - by Eurobasket News

The Castec Rural Supplies Pioneers have made a massive in road into their off season recruiting with the signing of 211 cm (6 foot 11) Big man Ben Allen (211-C-86, college: St.Mary's, CA). Ben who originally hails from Melbourne is currently part of the Townsville Crocodiles NBL playing roster in which he has played his previous two national league seasons.

MT GAMBIER PIONEERS MEDIA RELEASE

Ben spent last off season competing in the QBL (Queensland ABA conference) with the Ipswich Force under now Head Coach of the Sydney Kings Shane Heal. In 18 matches Ben registered an average of 17.8 points per game, 12.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists.

At 26 years of age, Ben has rich basketball experience being part of both the Australian Institute of Sport and competing with Indiana University and St Marys college basketball programs. In 2010 Ben was a starter for the Gaels in which his team made the Sweet 16 with Ben averaging 10.7 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists over the 34 games of the season.

Ben notified the club on Thursday afternoon his intentions to play with the Pioneers in 2013, after being approached by a number of Melbourne based clubs keen to lure the big man home for the NBL off season. Bens choice to come and work on his in Mount Gambier ahead of other higher profile clubs reflects well on the Pioneers and more importantly on Bens commitment to being the best he can be coach Richard hill said. I am genuinely excited to have a very talented 611 NBL standard centre join our program I am confident that Australia is yet to see the best out of him.

The signing ads to a proactive offseason recruiting campaign by the Pioneers, adding Woollcott Medallist and current Adelaide 36ers player Tom Daly. The club has also retained last years Allan Scott Medallist Erik Burdon, Captain Matt Sutton and Jan Warbout. With most of the pieces now together the club will now look at adding two talented restricted players to fill out the remaining spots of the roster.

Ben is likely to join the team in early April, and will likely miss the first three games of the 2013 SEABL season due to finishing his commitments with the Crocodiles. Tom Daly has also been elevated into the 10 man squad for the Adelaide 36ers due to the injury of Mitch Creek.

The Pioneers begin official pre season on January 6th and 7th with the clubs first official pre season camp to be held in Mount Gambier combining both the available rostered players and a number of talented local juniors from Mount Gambier. The Club begin their pre season games at the annual Millicent challenge on the 15th, 16th and 17th of February and also have pre season games planned against Ballarat and Geelong on the 22nd and 23rd of February.

If you would like to see more on Ben follow the links to any of the following web addresss:

Ben Allen Townsville Crocodiles Season and career statistics: http://www.sportingpulse.com/team_info.cgi?action=PSTATS&pID=191752831&client=0-189-88242-232872-17885836

Melbourne Tigers high-flyer Lucas Walker (203-F-84, college: St.Mary's, CA) has been named the National Basketball League Player of the Week for Round 12 of the iiNet NBL Championship after a brilliant performance in the Tigers overtime win against the Wollongong Hawks on New Year's Eve.

Walker came up big when the Tigers' needed it most, scoring 13 of his 19 points in the final quarter and overtime to lead Melbourne to a rare road 80-72 road win.

The 203cm forward was 7-of-13 from the field and was aggressive on the glass, accumulating 13 rebounds to go with three blocks as the Tigers ended the Hawks unbeaten home record this season.

Adelaide 36ers star Luke Schenscher was another leading light, putting up 25 points and grabbing 16 rebounds in their narrow 71-66 loss to the New Zealand Breakers on Friday at the Adelaide Arena.

Breakers import Will Hudson was in contention after posting 23 points and 11 rebounds in the same game to help New Zealand strengthen their grip on the top spot on the iiNet NBL Championship ladder.

Other contenders for the Player of the Week in Round 12 included Gary Ervin (Townsville), Kevin Lisch (Perth), Ben Madgen (Sydney) and Stephen Weigh (Adelaide).

The Haantjes started pretty well with active players like Mikhail Linskens (213-C-87, agency: R.H.Consultancy, college: Wyoming) and Maarten Brysse (205-C-86). The visitors even reached a 14-unit lead at some point in the second quarter. Nevertheless, Sint-Jan ended the second quarter with a 10-0 run and finished the period with a great shot from long range by Naim El Khounchar (193-G-94) on the buzzer to make it a tied game: 36-36. Unresponsive in defense, the Haantjes suddenly lost heart in this game and Sint-Jan's players Mario Brown (202-F-84, college: Jacksonville), Senne Geukens (190-G-83) and Leroy Anthonis (206-C-90) gave them no chance as they kept scoring. The fourth quarter looked easy for the Jantjes who never lost rhythm and even had some spectacular plays in the last minutes of the game. Great job by the 28-year-old US player Mario Brown who flew back the next day to America where he spent Christmas with his family.Score evolution: 15-22, 36-36, 69-55 and 97-66.Best scorers:Sint-Jan: B. Hartshorne 4, V. Verbeeck 4, B. Raes 2, N. El Khounchar 12, A. Druwez 15, S. Geukens 20, L. Anthonis 12, V. Kesteloot 3, P. Smulders 2, M. Brown 23. Haantjes: M. Linskens 22, M. Brysse 15, G. De Lepeleire 10, G. Mestdag 8, J. Bourdeaux 4, F. Moerman 4, L. Lhote 3.

Excelsior Brussels vs. Port of Antwerp Giants II: 96-77

Excelsior had a good start: +9 at the end of the first quarter. The second quarter was much better for the young Giants of coach Luc Smout but Excelsior was still ahead. In the third and fourth quarters, the Brussels' team remain concentrated and finished on top. Special mention to Excelsior's player Randy Oveneke (201-F-86) who had great stats in this game: 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block shot, 7 steals and 13 points.Score evolution: 24-15, 44-39, 70-59 and 96-77.Best scorers:Excelsior: N. Verrept 4, M. Depuydt 13, J. Van Haevermaet 13, G. De Pooter 13, L. Maesfrancx 8, J. De Schepper 26, R. Oveneke 13, S. Semijejero 6.Giants II: D. Donkor 37, A. Rojas Palma 16, Y. Schoepen 10.

Gent Dragons vs. Cuva Houthalen: 80-87

Lars Tielens (190-G-88) and Maarten Van Gelder (194-F-83) were missing on the Dragons' side. Under the lead of Ronnie McCollum (192-G-78, agency: Two Points, college: Centenary, LA) in offense, Cuva Houthalen took a rather large lead in the first quarter: after 11-18, the visitors had a 0-10 which gave them some reasons to strongly believe in a possible win away at the Tolhuis Arena in Ghent. Brian Heinle (205-F-78, agency: Court Side, college: CS Northridge) and Thomas Van De Vondel (194-F/G-80) reacted well for the Dragons but US player Jason Westrol (191-G-88, college: Bentley) of Cuva was still very efficient from all ranges. Thomas Van De Vondel and Leigh Enobakhare (206-C-86, agency: Court Side) put their team even closer in the third quarter when the scoreboard showed 63-66. Thanks to their great efficiency from behind the three-point line, the Dragons even took the lead (77-75) in the fourth quarter but it was without counting on an excellent Jason Westrol who re-boosted his Cuva mates. The Limburgers were stronger in the money time and eventually deserved the win.Score evolution: 13-30, 36-46, 63-66 and 80-87.Best scorers:Dragons: J. Jones 4, B. Heinle 10, R. Spaens 15, F. Lait 13, T. Van De Vondel 20, L. Enobakhare 11, M. Detiege 3, C. Tshimuanga 4.Cuva: C. Koonings 8, Maesen 18, R. McCollum 11, W. Jacobs 2, J. Westrol 30, Vanwijn 2, B. Tracey 5, O. Hodge 11.

Belfius Mons Hainaut II vs. Sint-Niklase Condors: 59-77

The young Foxes of coach Patrick Verdun had been surfing on the wave of success in the last few weeks but it was not the same story this time. Due to the live Ethias League's TV-broadcasting of the Belfius Mons Hainaut vs. Liege Basket game played at the mons.arena last Friday, this game had been postponed to Saturday 2012-12-22 at 20:00.Best scorers:Mons Hainaut II: L. Giancaterino 13, E. Lecomte 16, G. Vlamynck 3, L. Schwartz 10, A. Gorgemans 13, K. Tumba 4.Condors: B. De Beukeleer 7, E. Lasisi 3, J.-P. Dedecker 25, B. Bogaert 2, S. Vermeulen 11, D. Bovoy 3, N. Maris 6, J. Gerlo 20.

Kangoeroes Boom vs. CEP Fleurus: 91-79

Around 60 joyful and enthusiastic CEP supporters traveled by bus or by car to De Schalk in Boom to cheer on their favourite team last Saturday. The tip-off was given by Belgian basketball legend Eric Struelens (ex-Racing Maes Pils Mechelen, Paris SG Basket, Real Madrid, etc.). Other (former or current) Belgian basketball stars were seen in the attendance: Kurt Mollekens, Christian and Toni Marion, Thomas Foucart, Boualem Chekaba, etc. After 9-9, the Kangoeroes took a first lead at 13-9. CEP F of coach Paul Vervaeck nevertheless stayed in the race. Dieter Souveryns (193-F/G-83) entered then into the game at the end of the first quarter and, within one minute, hit two three-pointers in a row to give the Kangoeroes a 26-18 lead. The second quarter turned into a Kangoeroes' demo at some point. Kabo's center Sebastien Bellin (205-C-78, agency: Prossin Sports Management, college: Oakland) was very convincing in the paint and CEP players missed too many free-throws and forced too many complicated plays. Dieter Souveryns and Witse Van Schil (188-G-83) were unstoppable and converted many shots for the Kangoeroes. Wim Dobbelaere (198-F/C-85) also proved to be a key player for the Kangoeroes. The attendance and observers were sometimes annoyed by referees' obnoxious calls on both sides. Despite two great drives in the paint by Sebastien Bellin for the home team in the first seconds of the third quarter, the whole second half looked quite different. CEP F recovered well after the break and reduced the gap rather quickly after two consecutive three-pointers hit by Thomas Bauwens (192-F-86): 59-47 and even 59-49 a few seconds later. Young Belgian talents Louis Hazard (199-F-94), who had a very difficult time from the free-throw line in the second quarter (3/10), as well as Amaury Marion (196-F-91) showed the way to their CEP mates. Kangoeroes' coach Tom Poppe had to take a time-out after 70-65 on an impressive dunk by Amaury Marion concluding a great fastbreak situation for CEP Fleurus early in the fourth quarter. Several players on both sides were in foul trouble. Once again, the home team was able to raise its level of play and reached +10. Last efforts by Amaury Marion (again a great dunk), Christian Ilongo (194-F-85, agency: Promotex) and Ludovic Pourtoit (182-G-88) were not sufficient for CEP F. Dieter Souveryns remained very efficient through the whole game and Witse Van Schil put the last touch by hitting two three-point shots in a row for the Kangoeroes, right before the final buzzer. Score after 40 minutes: 91-79. CEP Fleurus' President Giovanni Mureddu was rather happy about the nice reaction that his guys had in the third and fourth quarters while Kangoeroes Boom's President Luc Katra repeatedly told observers that his club's ambition is to reach the Ethias League very soon. Free video highlights on RTV Kempen/Mechelen: http://www.rtv.be/artikels/sport/sport-op-zondag/2012122300114775_kangoeroes-boom-verslaat-fleurus-91-79.Score evolution: 26-18, 53-36, 68-59 and 91-79.Best scorers:Kangoeroes: S. Bellin 9, W. Dobbelaere 13, K. De Wit 6, D. Souveryns 30, W. Van Schil 26, M. Gorremans 7.CEP F: A. Marion 11, K. Jonniaux 8, C. Manzanza 2, L. Pourtoit 16, A. Chada 5, T. Bauwens 12, L. Hazard 11, C. Ilongo 14.

Gembo BBC vs. BasKet Tongeren: 108-71

Gembo of coach Stefan Sappenberghs has finished the year 2012 with a large win against BasKet Tongeren. Gembo is now ranked fourth in Division II. Qualifying for the Division II play-offs at the end of the season remain Gembo's ambition. BasKet Tongeren had a good first half with well-present Joeri Moonen (205-F-84). The 23 turnovers by the visitors clearly showed that there was nevertheless a huge difference between the two teams last weekend. Two young talents of Gembo BBC were also given some time to play in this game: Anthony Vermeersch (202-C-90) and Thierry Marien. Special mention again this week to Domien Loubry (186-G-85) who scored 30 points for Gembo BBC.Score evolution: 26-17, 48-40, 74-55 and 108-71.Best scorers:Gembo: D. Loubry 30, P. Van Rillaer 11, E. Van Aken 19, N. Celis 12.Tongeren: N/A

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BOSNIA

Siroki WWin tabs Johnathon Jones, ex Fraport SKY - by Eurobasket News

HKK Siroki WWin (Division I) inked 25-year old American point guard Johnathon Jones (183-88, college: Oakland, agency: TSS Management). He played recently at Fraport Skyliners Frankfurt in German BBL league. The last season Jones played for Deutsche Bank Skyliners (BBL). In 14 games this season he averaged 6.9ppg, 1.6rpg, 3.0apg and 1.1spg. The last summer he played at Capitals in IBA. Jones also played at MBK Rieker Komarno in Slovakian Extraliga earlier that season. In 42 games last year he had very impressive stats: 16.3ppg, 3.7rpg, 5.3apg (top 4) and 1.8spg. He helped them to win the regular season and make it to the final. They also played in the cup final. A very good season in his career as he was selected to Eurobasket.com All-Slovakian League 1st Team and All-Imports Team.Jones college team won Summit League Tournament in 2010.He graduated from Oakland University in 2010 and it will be his third season in pro basketball.

Bosnias representation at the 2013 Ciutat de L'Hospitalet Junior Tournament!The NIJT tournament in Rome was dominated by Bosnian team KK SPARS who thrashed Fenerbache in the final by 18 points. They also had the tournament MVP in Doko Salic and three all tournament members in Nedim Buza, Aleksej Nikolic and Doko Salic. The teams dominating performance guaranteed them a spot at the NIJT finals.Even though KK SPARS wont be playing in this leg of the tournament it wont prevent Bosnia from being well represented. These players with ties to Bosnia will be represented as well.

Adnan (Omeragic) Alic: Alic represented Spain last summer but there have been some rumblings he may want to return to BiH and play for his native Bosnia. This would be a major coupe because he has a lot of talent and Spain has high hopes for his future. Alic is a skilled defender with good athleticism and a good all-around game.

Tarik Cerik: Tarik is a good athlete who is raw. It will be interesting to see how he responds to his first international action. Tarik may develop into a quality player in the future.

Aleksandar Lazic: High hopes for what Aleksandar can become, he is an excellent athlete and a highly skilled player. The skies the limit for him and he should be a leader of this team. Theres nothing he cant do, shoot, rebound, block shots, pass etc. He is a player to watch and it will be interesting to see how much freedom he is given to operate.

Emir Sulejmanovic: Often compared to Ersan Illyasova for his length, tenacity and versatility. Only time will tell if Emir becomes such a high functioning player eventually but there is no doubt he has the skill to be a very good player in the future.

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BOTSWANA

Spartans crowned champions - by Eurobasket News

Spartans were crowned double champions after winning both the men's stream of the Botswana Basketball League and the National Championships. Police V did likewise in the women's stream. However, the code was blighted by lack of sponsorships as both competitions did not carry prize-monies. Botswana teams made their debut at the continental championships when Troopers and BDF V played at the Club Championships held in Mozambique. But the two teams received thrashings from their counterparts.Courtesy of: http://basket-in-africa.blogspot.com

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BRAZIL

Lucas Tischer could join Penarol, ex Brasilia - by Eurobasket News

Penarol Mar del Plata (LigaA) is close to sign 30-year old Brazilian ex-international center Lucas Tischer (208-100kg-83) who played last time at Uniceub/BRB/Brasilia in Brazil. In only one NBB game this season he had 5 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists. Tischer won Brazilian National League championship title for two years in a row (2011 and 2012).Among other achievements he received Latinbasket.com All-Brazilian National League Most Improved Player of the Year award back in 2005. Tischer was a member of Brazilian Senior National Team back in 2006.He is a very experienced player. Tischer has played also professionally in Israel (Galil Gilboa), Italy, NBA (Phoenix Suns) and Brazil (Minas, COC Ribeirao, Araraquara, Sao Jose and Assis Basket).

Christopher Lopez, Bryce Thompson and Collin Barrett led the charge for Wahoo while Arin Taylor, Lloydell Williamson, Cameron Hydes and Azeem Burton led the way for Tarpon. Tarpon only led by 3 points at the end of the 3rd quarter, but exploded offensively in the 4th quarter; scoring 17 points and holding Wahoo to only 6 for a final score of 39-25 in favor of Tarpon.

KK Cedevita Zagreb (A1) is close to ink 25-year old Montenegrin ex-international power forward Vladimir Dasic (208-107kg-88) who played last time at Besiktas Istanbul in Turkey. In three TBL games this season he averaged 7.3ppg, 3.3rpg and 1.0spg. He also played 8 games in Euroleague where he had 4.6ppg, 1.8rpg and 1.0apg. The last season Dasic played at Union Olimpija Ljubljana in Slovenian Telemach League. In 14 games he had 12.6ppg, 5.9rpg, 1.1apg and 1.8spg (in top 5). He helped them to win the cup and make to league final. Dasic also played 13 games in Adriatic League where he had 9.3ppg, 4.5rpg, 1.3apg and 1.5spg. He also played at Lottomatica Roma in Italian SerieA earlier that season. In 8 games he had 11.0ppg, 5.6rpg and 1.1spg (in top 3).Among other achievements Dasic received Eurobasket.com All-Italian SerieA Honorable Mention award in 2011.He was also a member of Montenegrin international program for some years. Dasic played for Montenegrin Senior National Team between 2008 and 2012 and previously for U21 National Team back in 2007. He also represented Montenegro at the Qualifications to European Championships 2013 last year. His stats at that event were 10 games: 15.1ppg, 6.7rpg, 2.2apg, Steals-5(2.5spg), FGP: 58.8%, 3PT: 32.6%, FT: 76.5%.Dasic has played previously professionally in Spain (Real Madrid and Herbalife Gran Canaria 2014) and Montenegro (Buducnost).

"We brought him with the intention to shake and wake some players up and some of it was done. Chances of keeping him are small. Besides, he showed some things outside of basketball that do not fit into our concept." - Sports Director, Branko Skroce said for kosarka.org.

Skroce also announced that KK Zadar will most likely keep Chaisson Allen (192-PG-89, college: Northeastern). "We need Allen. He has shown that he can, despite all the problems with injuries. Coach Nazor is particularly pleased with his defensive play and offensive can certainly do better."

Another news coming from KK Zadar is adding Vedran Morovic (183-PG-83, college: Olney Central CC) to the team. Morovic is familiar with the players because he already had a chance to practice with them.Previous season Morovic spent with Politekhnika-Halychyna Lviv from Ukraine and Croatian KK Zagreb. In 16 games played with Politekhnika-Halychyna Lviv, he averaged 11.6 points, 2.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists, while in 12 games of A1 league played with Zagreb, he averaged 3.7 points and in 6 games of Adriatic league averaged 5.8 points, 1.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists.

Pizza Express Apollon Limassol have acquired American guard Luke Loucks (196-G-90, college: Florida St.) for the remainder of the season. Loucks fills the spot of recently departed MaJic Dorsey (185-PG-81, college: S.Indiana) who left the team after Christmas. Loucks is a 6-5 point guard out of Florida State who began this season with VEF Riga of Latvia. He appeared in six VTB United league games scoring a total of nine points on 3-6 shooting and 2-2 from the free throw line. Additionally he played in four Latvian domestic contests, averaging 1.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists while shooting a combined 2-16 from the field. Last season as a senior for a surprising Florida State squad the Clearwater, Florida native had his best statistical year, averaging 7.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.2 steals while helping lead Florida State to an impressive run to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. Loucks arrived in Cyprus right before the New Year and has already met and practiced with his new team and coach Chris Chougaz .

Reigning Czech champions CEZ Basketball Nymburk announced via their official website that they have released shooting guard A.J. Abrams (180-G-86, college: Texas). Abrams, a 5-11 guard out of the University of Texas, joined Nymburk in November of the 2011-12 season. He was granted leave to return home in November and December to deal with personal issues, but according to club spokesman Ondrej Simecek, did not return to to the club in the agreed upon term. Abrams appeared in several competitions for the club this season, including Euroleague qualifications (2 games), Eurocup (2 games), VTB United League (5 games) and domestic NBL contests (9 games). During his NBL play he averaged 8.4 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists while shooting 24-71 from the field and 18-19 from the free-throw line. An undersized two-guard with extensive range from three-point distance, Abrams has played in Greece and Italy in addition to his time with Nymburk during his four-year professional career. The club is expected to search for a replacement at the shooting guard position.

Moved up due to an upcoming weekend VTB United League matchup, CEZ Nymburk (18-1) and a recently improved BK Opava (6-13) squared off in Round 21 action tonight in Podebrady. What was supposed to mark the anticipated return of Ladislav Sokolvsky against his former Nymburk club did not come to fruition, as the veteran swingman missed the game due to a knee injury. He was in the building however and watched his Opava teamamtes get run over by the nine-time champions.... of which Ladislav Sokolovsky (200-G-77) had been a huge part of. Nymburk took control in the first quarter and closed the first 10-minutes up 25-15, never looking back. They out-rebounded Opava 42-25 and limited the visitors to just 11-39 shooting on two-point field goals, while making 26-38 themselves. Opava did however manage to shoot efficiently from long-range, connecting on 9-15 (60%) from three. With both teams having to go right back at tomorrow night in normally scheduled Round 20 action, the lopsided contest may actually benefit both clubs in terms of player availability.For Nymburk, they were led by the trio of Vojtech Hruban (202-G/F-89), Radek Necas (205-F-80) and Radoslav Rancik (207-F/C-79, college: St.Cloud St.) who each scored 12 points a piece. In addition to missing Ladislav Sokolovsky, Opava was also without guard/forward Ladislav Toth (196-F-83) and were led by Jiri Dihel (198-F/C-87) who was the only Opava player to reach double-figures, scoring 10 points in defeat. Jakub Blazek (203-F-80), the league's second-leading scorer at 18.3 points per contest was limited to just six points tonight.NYMBURK: Vojtech Hruban (12pts), Radek Necas (12pts), Radoslav Rancik (12pts), Tomas Pomikalek (200-F-89) (10pts+9reb)OPAVA: Jiri Dihel (10pts), Michal Palat (193-G-90) (9pts), Petr Strnisko (195-SF-89) (9pts), Jakub Sirina (185-G-87) (7pts)

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D-LEAGUE

Paul Carter is a newcomer at Warriors - by Eurobasket News

Santa Cruz Warriors strengthened their roster with addition of 26-year old forward Paul Carter (204-86kg-87, college: Ill.-Chicago, agency: Edge Sports). He just played at Idaho Stampede (D-League). In 9 games this season he recorded 3.0ppg and 2.7rpg. Carter also spent pre-season at Maccabi Rishon in Israeli Winner League earlier that year. The last summer he played at Fuerza Guinda Nogales in Mexican CIBACOPA. In two games he averaged 12.5ppg, 5.0rpg and 1.0apg. Carter also played at Proteas Danoi AEL Limassol in Cypriot Division A earlier that season. The previous (2011) summer he played at the University of Minnesota. Great season indeed as he was voted to Horizon League All-Newcomers Team. Carters team made it to the Cyprus final in 2012.He graduated from University of Illinois-Chicago in 2011 and it will be his second season as a professional player.

By Eurobasket Data Center

Idaho Stampede adds Brown to their roster - by Eurobasket News

Idaho Stampede added to their roster 24-year old guard Carlon Brown (195-98kg-89, college: Colorado). He just played at Santa Cruz Warriors (D-League). In 6 games this season he had 5.5ppg, 3.2rpg and 1.5apg. The last season Brown played at the University of Colorado. In 36 Pacific-12 Conference games last year he recorded 12.6ppg, 3.8rpg and 2.0apg. He helped them to win Pac-12 Tournament. A very spectacular season in his career as he All-Pac-12 All-Tournament MVP, named to All-Pac-12 2nd Team and named to Pac-12 All-Tournament Team.Brown has played also professionally in NBA (Golden State Warriors).He attended University of Colorado until 2012 and it will be his first season as a professional player.

By Eurobasket Data Center

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EUROBASKET SUMMER LEAGUE

Top former ESL players currently in pro basketball based on last week's performance - by Eurobasket Center

We bring you last week's top performances from Eurobasket Summer League players who are playing pro basketball and who all have had prior experience of national team duties at youth or senior level.

#1.Justin Griffin (194-G/F-83, college: Hawaii-Hilo, currently plays in Mexico) led Soles to a victory over the 13th-ranked Guerreros (8-28) crushing them 113-86 in the Mexican LNBP (second division) in Saturday night's game.
Griffin was MVP of the game. He scored 33 points (!!!) in 25 minutes.
Soles de Mexicali (27-9) is placed fourth in the LNBP.
There are only four games left until the end of the Regular Season. So now every game will be critical.
Griffin has relatively good stats this year: 12.9ppg, 1.9rpg and 1.2apg in the 35 games he played so far.
He is a naturalized American.
Worth to mention he played also at Eurobasket Summer League, which helped him get the job in pro basketball.

#2.Jason Conley (196-G-81, agency: Warren Sports International, college: Missouri, currently plays in Finland), who plays in the Finnish Korisliiga could not help LrNMKY (10-9) in their last game on Friday. Despite Conley's very good performance LrNMKY was defeated 75-63 on the road by the lower-ranked Kouvot (#7).
He recorded a double-double by scoring 29 points and getting 15 rebounds.
It's Conley's first season with the team.
Conley is currently second on the league's list of top scorers and also on the list of best rebounders (second place).
He has individually a very good season with high stats. Conley averages: 22.9ppg, 9.6rpg, 3.0apg and 1.8spg.
Worth to mention Conley played also at Eurobasket Summer League, which helped him get the job in pro basketball. Last year he took part in the ESL camp in Las Vegas playing for Union Monaco.

#3.Olaseni Lawal (208-F/C-86, agency: Pro One Sports, college: Wayne St., MI, currently plays in Italy) led Tezenis VE to a victory over the closely-ranked AcegasAps TR (7-5) 67-51 in the Italian Lega2 (second division) on Sunday night.
He was the best player in that game. Lawal had a double-double by scoring 20 points and getting 16 rebounds. He also added 3 blocks in 34 minutes.
Tezenis Verona (7-6) is placed seventh in the Lega2.
Lawal is ranked first on the list of the best rebounders in the league and also on the list of best blockers (second place).
He has very reliable stats this year: 10.2ppg, 13.5rpg, 1.6bpg and 2.2spg in the 13 games he played so far.
Lawal is a naturalized American.
He is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top summer league for players who want to play basketball overseas. Three years ago Lawal played at the ESL camp in Las Vegas playing for Team Brussels.

#4.Allen Durham (198-F-88, college: Grace Bible, currently plays in Israel) led Hapoel Afula to a victory over the league outsider Maccabi Kiryat Bialik (1-10) crushing them 97-77 in the Israeli National League (second division) in Tuesday night's game.
He was the top player that evening. Durham recorded a double-double by scoring 31 points and getting 17 rebounds. He also added 4 assists and 3 blocks.
Hapoel Afula (8-3) is placed third in the National League.
It was his team's seventh consecutive victory in a row.
Durham is currently first on the league's list of top scorers and also on the list of best rebounders (second place).
He has individually a very good season with high stats. Durham averages: 23.1ppg, 14.2rpg, 3.3apg, 1.1bpg and 1.5spg.
He is a former Eurobasket Summer League player, which is considered top international summer league in the market. In 2011 Durham attended the ESL camp in Las Vegas playing for Team Lugano.

#5.Lawrence Blackledge (206-F-86, agency: Top Notch Sports, college: Marquette, currently plays in Japan) led Iwate Big Bulls to a victory over the 11th-ranked Saitama Broncos (2-18) crushing them 97-53 in the Japanese BJ League last Sunday.
Blackledge was the top player that evening. He had a double-double by scoring 19 points and getting 12 rebounds. Blackledge also added 9 blocks in 28 minutes.
Iwate Big Bulls (16-6) are placed third in Eastern group.
It was his team's third consecutive victory in a row.
Blackledge is currently second on the list of best blockers with 2.9bpg.
This year he also averages: 12.2ppg, 9.8rpg and 2.0apg in the 18 games he played so far.
He played in 2008at the Eurobasket Summer League in Salt Lake City for Team Sevilla.

#6.Jason Horton (188-G-86, college: Missouri, currently plays in Mexico) led Barreteros to a victory over the league outsider Gigantes (3-33) crushing them 93-71 in the Mexican LNBP (second division) on Saturday night.
He was the top player that evening. Horton recorded a double-double by scoring 21 points and making 13 passes. He also added 6 rebounds.
Barreteros de Zacatecas (14-22) is placed tenth in the LNBP.
It was his team's first victory after five consecutive loses.
There are only four games left until the end of the Regular Season. So now every game will be critical.
Horton is currently first on the league's list of best passers and also on the list of most steals (fourth place).
He has individually a very good season with high stats. Horton averages: 17.1ppg, 3.9rpg, 8.4apg and 1.9spg.
Horton attended three years ago the Eurobasket Summer League camp in Las Vegas.

#7.Justin Knox (205-F-89, college: N.Carolina, currently plays in Turkey) led Vestel to a victory over the closely-ranked Gelisim (7-8) 75-60 in the Turkish TB2L (second division) in Saturday night's game.
Knox was the top player that evening. He scored 28 points (!!!) and grabbed 8 rebounds in 30 minutes; quite an impressive performance considering it's only Knox's second season in pro basketball. Vestelspor Manisa (9-6) is placed eighth in the TB2L.
Knox is currently seventh on the league's list of top scorers and also on the list of best blockers (fifth place).
He has individually a very good year with high stats. Knox averages: 18.3ppg, 8.6rpg and 1.3bpg in the 15 games he played so far.
Worth to mention he played also for Team Munich at the ESL in Cologne, Germany in 2011.

#8.P.J. Hill jr. (182-PG-87, college: Ohio St., currently plays in Latvia) led Jekabpils to an easy victory against the ninth-ranked Liepaja (5-10) crushing them 106-67 in the Latvian LBL last Thursday.
Hill jr. recorded a double-double by scoring 14 points and making 10 passes; not bad, considering it's only his third season in pro basketball. BK Jekabpils (10-7) is placed second in the LBL.
It was his team's fourth consecutive victory in a row.
There are only four games left until the end of the Regular Season. So now every game will be critical.
Hill jr. belongs to league's top scorers (ranked #4) and also on the list of best passers (second place).
He has individually a very good season with high stats. Hill jr. averages: 16.5ppg, 4.4rpg and 3.9apg.
He played three years ago at the ESL in Las Vegas for Team Venice.

#9.Nate Linhart (201-F-86, college: Akron, currently plays in Germany) was the major contributor in a TBB Trier's victory against the 14th-ranked Mitteldeutscher BC (6-10) 78-59 in the German BBL on Saturday night.
Linhart recorded 13 points and grabbed 8 rebounds in 22 minutes.
TBB Trier (9-7) is placed seventh in the BBL.
It was his team's first victory after three consecutive loses.
This year Linhart's overall stats are: 9.8ppg, 5.0rpg, 1.7apg and 1.6spg in the 16 games he played so far.
He attended in 2009 the ESL camp in Las Vegas.

#10.Michael Hunter (178-PG, college: Cal-Irvine, currently plays in Mexico) faced previously mentioned Justin Griffin in the Mexican LNBP last game.
Hunter, who plays in the Mexican LNBP (second division) could not help the league outsider Guerreros (0-15) in their last game on Saturday. Despite his very good performance Guerreros was crushed 113-86 at home by the lower-ranked Soles (#4).
Hunter was the top scorer with 27 points. He also added 3 steals.
There are only four games left until the end of the Regular Season. So now every game will be critical.
Hunter has individually a very good season with high stats. He averages: 18.3ppg, 2.6rpg, 4.1apg and 1.8spg.
Worth to mention he played also for Team Venice at the ESL in Las Vegas two years ago.

Ukranian outfit BC Donetsk, who were in talks with Kylro Fesenko according to reports from basketinside.com, signed Curtis Millage (185-G-81, college: Arizona St.)e, confirmed by club GM Oleksiy Efimov.Known for his good defensive skills, 31 year old Millage is an ex Arizona State player and experienced US guard. He played for many clubs in Europe, starting from 2002-2003 seasons and at clubs like Split, ASK Riga, and Union Olimpija. He started season at Georgian Eurochallange contender BC Armia. Until now, he had 16.3 pts, 3.7 asists and 2 steals on average for this season at Eurochallange. Doron Perkins came to Donetsk as a replacement for Vule Avdalovic, who left for ALBA Berlin last summer, unfortunately could not recover from his injuries for most of the first part of the season and now released by the club.

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FINLAND

Petteri Koponen selected the top Finn playing abroad in last week's games - by Eurobasket Center

Here is the weekly review of the top performing Finnish players, who play currently abroad.

#1. This week's number one is an international point guard Petteri Koponen (194-88, currently plays in Euroleague). He managed to help BC Khimky Moscow Region in a victory against the seventh-ranked Besiktas (0-1) 80-75 in the Euroleague in Thursday night's game.
Koponen recorded only 2 points in 14 minutes on the court.
BC Khimky Moscow Region (1-0) is placed fourth in group F.
This year Koponen averages: 5.0ppg, 1.4apg, 2FGP: 47.1%, 3FGP: 31.6% in the eight games he played so far.
He is currently a member of the Finnish senior national team.

#2. Second place goes to an international power forward Tuukka Kotti (205-81, college: Providence, currently plays in Italy), who plays in the Italian SerieA. Kotti could not help Vanoli Cremona (4-9) to beat Cimberio Varese (12-1). He did not impress in that game on Sunday.
Kotti recorded only 2 points and grabbed 6 rebounds.
Vanoli Cremona was defeated 94-84 on the road by the leading Cimberio Varese.
Kotti's overall stats this season are: 6.1ppg, 6.3rpg, 2FGP: 65.1%(28-43).
He is in the roster of the Finnish senior national team.

#3. The Finnish player who performed third best last week abroad was an international guard Roope Ahonen (186-90, agency: FCM, currently plays in Sweden). Ahonen contributed to an easy victory against the tenth-ranked White Eagles (4-15) crushing them 99-66 in the Swedish Basketligan on Friday night.
He recorded 8 points in 24 minutes.
Solna Vikings (12-7) is placed fourth in the Basketligan.
It was his team's fifth consecutive victory in a row.
Ahonen has relatively good stats this year: 10.8ppg, 1.9rpg, 3.8apg, 2FGP: 51.3%, 3FGP: 37.9% and FT: 91.4%(53-58) in the 19 games.
He is also a member of the Finnish senior national team.

#4. Forward Lauri Toivonen (201-91, currently plays college basketball in the States) was not able to help the UTPA in their game against the Oregon State University (0-0) in the NCAA.
Toivonen scored 8 points and grabbed 5 rebounds.
The UTPA was crushed 84-59 in Corvallis, OR by the Oregon State University.
This season Toivonen has relatively solid stats: 10.8ppg, 1.9rpg and 3.8apg.
He used to play for the Finnish university national team
back in 2011.

One more player who has never been selected to any of national teams, but has Finnish passport:

#1.Kristjan Rinaldo (195-G/F-91, currently plays in Estonia), who plays in the Estonian KML could not help one of league's weakest teams TTU (6-7) to beat Rapla (6-7). Rinaldo did not have that impressive stats last Friday.
He scored only 3 points in 15 minutes.
TTU lost 74-87 at home to the higher-ranked (#5) Rapla.
There are only two games left until the end of the Regular Season. So now every game will be critical.
This year Rinaldo averages just 1.7ppg in the three games he played so far.

Korisliiga (Top League) Player of December is American F-G Martin Zeno (196-G-85, college: Texas Tech). Zeno led his Team Bisons (Loimaa) into 6-1 record last month averaging 22,4 ppg - 6,9 rpg - 4,6 apg - 1,7 spg and 1,1 bpg. Zeno is playing his second season in Finland and Loimaa. Bisons is leading the league with 16-4 record right now. The Player of October was Damon Williams (201-F-73, agency: Two Points, college: Colorado St.-Pueblo) (Pyrinto) and in November that nomination was given to Matthew Gibson (196-G-84) (YMCA Lappeenranta).

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FRANCE

Tony Parker's double-double lands him Player of the Week award among French playing currently abroad - by Eurobasket Center

Here is the weekly review of the top performing French players, who play currently abroad.

#1. This week's number one is an international point guard Tony Parker (188-82, currently plays in NBA). He led San Antonio Spurs to a victory over the Houston Rockets (17-14) 122-116 in the NBA in Friday night's game.
Parker was MVP of the game. He had a double-double by scoring 31 points and making 10 passes. Parker also added 5 rebounds in 39 minutes on the court.
The San Antonio Spurs have a very solid 25-8 record this season.
It was his team's sixth consecutive victory in a row.
It's Parker's 12th year with the team.
He has individually a very good season with high stats. Parker averages: 19.3ppg, 3.2rpg, 7.3apg, 2FGP: 52.6%, 3FGP: 40.5% and FT: 82.6% in the 31 games he played so far.
He is currently a member of the French senior national team.

#2. Second place goes to an international small forward Nicolas Batum (203-88, currently plays in NBA). Batum was the main contributor in a Portland Trail Blazers' victory against the New York Knicks (21-10) 105-100 in the NBA last Tuesday.
He was the best player in that game. Batum scored 26 points (!!!), grabbed 4 rebounds and dished 6 assists.
The Portland Trail Blazers have 16-14 record this season.
This year Batum has very high stats. He averages: 16.4ppg, 5.7rpg, 4.4apg, 1.2bpg, 1.6spg, 2FGP: 49.7%, 3FGP: 35.6% and FT: 86.5%.
Batum is in the roster of the French senior national team.

#3. The French player who performed third best last week abroad was former U20 international guard Thomas Heurtel (188-89, currently plays in Euroleague). He contributed to a Caja Laboral's victory against the eighth-ranked Olympiacos (0-1) 82-74 in the Euroleague on Thursday night.
Heurtel recorded 13 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists in 23 minutes.
Caja Laboral Vitoria (1-0) is placed second in group F.
This year Heurtel's overall stats are: 7.5ppg, 2.5rpg, 4.0apg, 3FGP: 52.2%(12-23) and FT: 65.0% in the 11 games.
He played for the French U20 national team four years ago.

#4. Power forward Joakim Noah (211-85, college: Florida, currently plays in NBA) helped Chicago Bulls win their game against the Washington Wizards (4-25) 87-77 in the NBA in Saturday night's game.
Noah scored 9 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and dished 5 assists.
The Chicago Bulls have 16-13 record this season.
Noah is one of the most experienced players in a team as it's his sixth year in Bulls' roster.
This season he has very high stats. Noah averages: 12.8ppg, 10.3rpg, 4.4apg, 2.1bpg and 1.4spg.
He is a naturalized American.
Noah used to play for the French national team
back in 2011. Strangely he has never played in France.

#5. International center Kevin Seraphin (206-89, currently plays in NBA) helped Washington Wizards win their game against the Orlando Magic (12-19) 105-97 in the NBA last Friday.
Seraphin recorded 17 points, 6 rebounds and 4 blocks in 32 minutes.
The Washington Wizards have rather weak 4-25 record this season.
Seraphin has relatively good stats this year: 10.8ppg and 5.3rpg in the 28 games.
He has a dual citizenship: Guyanese and French.
Seraphin plays currently for the French national team.

#6. Power forward Ian Mahinmi (206-86, currently plays in NBA), who plays in the NBA could not help the Indiana Pacers (18-13) in their last game on Saturday. Despite his good performance the Indiana Pacers were defeated 109-100 on the road by the Atlanta Hawks.
Mahinmi scored 13 points and blocked 3 blocks.
Mahinmi's total stats this season are: 5.2ppg and 3.6rpg.
He is a former international player as he played for the French senior team two years ago.

#7. International small forward Mickael Gelabale (201-83, agency: Three Eye Sports, currently plays in Spain) was the major contributor in a Valencia Basket's victory against the tenth-ranked Unicaja Malaga (8-7) 82-64 in the Spanish ACB in Sunday night's game.
Gelabale scored 13 points in a mere 18 minutes.
Valencia Basket (11-4) is placed third in the ACB.
This year Gelabale has relatively solid stats: 11.0ppg and 3.3rpg in the three games.
He is also French national team player.

#8. Shooting guard Nando De Colo (196-87, currently plays in NBA) is a teammate of previously mentioned Tony Parker. But that was another game of his team in NBA which we would like to mention.
De Colo helped San Antonio Spurs win their game against the Brooklyn Nets (16-15) crushing them 104-73.
He recorded 11 points.
The San Antonio Spurs have a very solid 25-8 record this season.
It was his team's sixth consecutive victory in a row.
De Colo's total stats this season are: 3.9ppg, 1.7rpg and 1.9apg.
He plays currently for the French national team.

#9. International power forward Boris Diaw (203-82, currently plays in NBA) is a teammate of previously mentioned Tony Parker. However that was another game of his team in NBA which brought him to that list.
Diaw helped San Antonio Spurs win their game against the Toronto Raptors (11-20) crushing them 100-80.
He scored 10 points in 22 minutes.
The San Antonio Spurs have a very good 25-8 record this season.
It was his team's sixth consecutive victory in a row.
It's Diaw's first year with the team.
This season Diaw's total stats are: 6.0ppg, 3.6rpg and 2.5apg in the 33 games.
He is also in the roster of the French national team.

#10. Forward Amath M'Baye (206-89, currently plays college basketball in the States) helped Oklahoma win their game against the Ohio University 74-63 in the NCAA last Saturday.
M'Baye recorded 16 points and grabbed 6 rebounds in 22 minutes.
The The University of Oklahoma has 1-0 conference record this season.
M'Baye has very impressive stats this year: 18.1ppg, 10.0rpg and 1.2apg in the 19 games.
He is a former U20 international player as four years ago he still played for the French national team.

#11. Former international swingman Mickael Pietrus (198-82, also represented by Three Eye Sports, currently plays in NBA) helped Toronto Raptors win their game against the Orlando Magic crushing them 123-88 in the NBA on Saturday night.
Pietrus scored 9 points and added 3 assists.
Pietrus has averaged so far 6.7ppg and 2.0rpg.
He used to play for the French national team
two years ago.

#12. International forward Yakhouba Diawara (201-82, college: Pepperdine, currently plays in Italy) helped Umana Venezia edge the third-ranked Montepaschi Siena 65-63 in the Italian SerieA in Sunday night's game.
Diawara was the top player that evening. He recorded 16 points and grabbed 8 rebounds in 27 minutes.
Diawara has reliable stats this year: 13.8ppg and 4.8rpg in the 12 games.
He is also in the roster of the French national team.

#13. International center Ronny Turiaf (208-83, agency: Priority Sports, college: Gonzaga, currently plays in NBA) managed to help Los Angeles Clippers to win against the Boston Celtics crushing them 106-77 in the NBA last Thursday.
Turiaf scored only 4 points and grabbed 5 rebounds.
Turiaf has averaged so far 2.1ppg and 2.6rpg.
He is also French national team player.

#14. International forward Florent Pietrus (202-81, currently plays in Spain) is a teammate of previously mentioned Mickael Gelabale and both played together in the last Spanish ACB game.
Pietrus helped Valencia Basket win their game against the tenth-ranked Unicaja Malaga 82-64.
He scored 6 points in 15 minutes.
Pietrus has averaged so far 3.6ppg and 2.9rpg in the 15 games.
He plays currently for the French national team.

#15. Former international power forward Adrien Moerman (203-88, currently plays in Spain) was not able to help Gescrap BB in their game against CAI Zaragoza in the Spanish ACB.
Moerman scored 5 points.
His team was defeated 81-74.
Moerman has averaged so far 6.4ppg and 2.7rpg.
He used to play for the French national team
three years ago.

The list of other players, who all have French passport but never been selected to any of French national teams:

#1.Boris Meno (203-F-83, agency: Two Points, college: Davidson, currently plays in Czech Republic) led USK Praha to a victory over the league outsider BK Usti nad Labem (3-15) 82-69 in the Czech Republic NBL in Saturday night's game.
Meno was the top player that evening. He recorded a double-double by scoring 32 points and getting 18 rebounds.
USK Praha (15-1) is placed first in the NBL.
It was his team's 15th consecutive victory in a row.
Meno is currently third on the list of top scorers and also on the list of best rebounders (second place).
He has individually a very good season with high stats. Meno averages: 18.1ppg, 10.0rpg and 1.2apg.
He has a dual citizenship: Congolese and French.

#2.Elishay Kadir (202-PF-87, agency: Avi Zilberman, currently plays in Israel) contributed to a Hapoel J-M's victory against the closely-ranked Hapoel Eilat (7-4) 85-79 in the Israeli Winner League in Monday night's game.
Kadir scored 8 points and grabbed 5 rebounds in 24 minutes.
Hapoel Migdal Jerusalem (6-5) is placed fifth in the Winner League.
Kadir has averaged so far 9.4ppg, 4.4rpg, 1.3apg and 1.1spg in the 11 games he played so far.
He is another player who holds two passports: French and Israeli.

#3.Afik Nissim (186-PG-81, currently plays in Israel) faced previously mentioned Elishay Kadir in the Israeli Winner League last game.
Nissim, who plays in the Israeli Winner League could not help Hapoel Eilat (1-1) to beat Hapoel J-M (6-5).
He scored 8 points in 18 minutes.
Hapoel Eilat lost 79-85 on the road to the lower-ranked (#5) Hapoel J-M.
Nissim has averaged so far 7.3ppg, 1.9rpg and 3.0apg in the 11 games.
He has both French and Israeli nationalities.

#4.Bandja Sy (203-F, currently plays college basketball in the States) was not able to help the N.Mexico St. (0-2) in their game against the Louisiana Tech University (2-0) in the NCAA.
Sy scored 7 points and grabbed 4 rebounds.
The N.Mexico St. was defeated 81-72 in Ruston, LA by the Louisiana Tech University.
Sy has been at the team for four years.
He has averaged so far 7.3ppg, 1.9rpg and 3.0apg.
Sy also holds two passports: Mali and French.

#5.Mohamed Kone (211-C-81, college: Valparaiso, currently plays in Iran) managed to help Foolad Mahan Esfahan in a 2-point victoryagainst the league leader Petrochimi (10-1) 82-80 in the Iranian Superleague on Monday night.
He scored only 4 points in 7 minutes on the court. It was his first game for Foolad Mahan this season.
It was the game of the round between two top 4 ranked teams. His team is placed second in the Superleague.
There are only two games left until the end of the Regular Season. So now every game will be critical.
Kone has Ivorian and French nationalities.

#6.Kim Tillie (210-F-88, agency: Priority Sports, college: Utah, currently plays in Spain) was not able to secure a victory for UCAM Murcia in their game against Asefa Estudiantes in the Spanish ACB. He cannot count Sunday's game as one of the best ones.
Tillie scored only 2 points.
His team was crushed by 23 points 91-68.
Tillie has averaged so far 7.5ppg, 3.9rpg and 1.1spg.
He has dual citizenship: Dutch and French.

#7.Remi Barry (201-F, currently studies in the States) is a teammate of previously mentioned Bandja Sy. But that was another game of his team in NCAA which we would like to mention.
Barry couldn't help the N.Mexico St. in their game against the University of Texas at Arlington. He cannot count Saturday's game as one of the best ones.
Barry recorded only 1 points and grabbed 5 rebounds.
His team was crushed by 21 points 68-47.
Barry has averaged so far 7.5ppg, 3.9rpg and 1.1spg.

#8.Stephane Raquil (208-F-91, is currently at the American university) couldn't help the Alcorn St. in their game against the Canisius College in the NCAA. He cannot count Thursday's game as one of the best ones.
Raquil scored only 2 points and blocked 2 blocks in 25 minutes.
His team lost 74-87.
Raquil has averaged so far 7.5ppg, 3.9rpg and 1.1spg in the 15 games.

Cholet lands Pierre Pierce - by Eurobasket News

Cholet Basket (ProA) landed 30-year old American guard Pierre Pierce (193-83, college: Iowa). He played recently at Hyeres-Toulon in ProA. However his team was relegated to ProB. In three games this season he averaged impressive 18.3ppg, 3.0rpg, 6.7apg and 1.0spg. Part of last season Pierce spent at DniproAzot in Ukrainian Superleague. In three games last year he had 12.3ppg, 4.0rpg and 2.7apg. He also played at Sokhumi in Georgian league earlier that season. In two EuroChallenge games he had 9.0ppg, 4.5rpg, 5.5apg and 1.0spg.The previous (10-11) season Pierce played at Azovmash in Superleague. In 21 games that year he had 8.5ppg, 2.8rpg and 2.6apg. He also played 3 games in VTB United League where he had 12.0ppg, 5.3rpg, 3.7apg and 1.3spg. The other team Pierce played shortly was Aris in Greek A1. In 5 games he had 7.0ppg, 1.8rpg and 1.8apg. He also played 3 games in Eurocup where he had 10.0ppg, 4.3rpg, 3.7apg, 1.0spg and 1.0bpg.Among other achievements Pierces team made it to the VTB United League Semifinals in 2011. He received also All-Big 10 Conference 3rd Team award back in 2004 at his college time.Pierce attended University of Iowa until 2005 and it will be his eighth season in pro basketball.

#1. This week's number one is an international center Zaza Pachulia (210-84, currently plays in NBA). He led Atlanta Hawks to a victory against the Indiana Pacers (18-13) 109-100 in the NBA in Saturday night's game.
Pachulia had a double-double by scoring 17 points and getting 14 rebounds in 38 minutes on the court.
The Atlanta Hawks have a solid 20-10 record this season.
This year Pachulia averages: 6.2ppg, 7.1rpg, 1.5apg, 2FGP: 48.9% and FT: 76.9% in the 30 games he played so far.
He is currently a member of the Georgian senior national team.

#2. Second place goes to an international small forward Manuchar Markoishvili (196-86, currently plays in Italy). Markoishvili led Cantu to a victory over the ninth-ranked Trenkwalder RE (6-7) crushing them 86-64 in the Italian SerieA last Sunday.
He was MVP of the game. Markoishvili recorded 19 points and added 3 assists.
Mapooro Cantu (9-4) is placed fourth in the SerieA.
It was his team's third consecutive victory in a row.
It's Markoishvili's fourth season with the team.
He has relatively good stats this year: 13.0ppg, 3.8rpg, 2.1apg, 2FGP: 47.5%, 3FGP: 43.1%.
Markoishvili is in the roster of the Georgian senior national team.

#3. The Georgian player who performed third best last week abroad was an international point guard Jacob Pullen (185-89, college: Kansas St., currently plays in Israel). He was the main contributor in a Hapoel J-M's victory against the closely-ranked Hapoel Eilat (7-4) 85-79 in the Israeli Winner League last Monday.
Pullen was the best player in that game. He scored 20 points and added 6 assists in 29 minutes; quite an impressive performance considering it's only Pullen's second season in pro basketball. Hapoel Migdal Jerusalem (6-5) is placed fifth in the Winner League.
Pullen is ranked fourth on the list of the best passers in the league with 4.5apg.
This year he also averages: 13.6ppg, 1.3rpg, 1.1spg, 2FGP: 55.6%(30-54), 3FGP: 45.8%(22-48) in the 11 games.
Pullen is a naturalized American.
He is also a member of the Georgian senior national team. Strangely Pullen has never played in Georgia.

#4. Point guard Corey Fisher (186-88, college: Villanova, currently plays in Spain), who plays in the Spanish ACB could not help FIATC Joventut (7-8) in their last game. Despite his very good performance FIATC Joventut was crushed 80-50 on the road by the much higher-ranked (#4) G.Canaria 2014.
Fisher was the top scorer with 15 points. He also added 4 rebounds in 29 minutes; not bad, considering it's only Fisher's second season in pro basketball. Fisher is currently ninth on the league's list of top scorers with 14.4ppg.
He also averaged so far 2.6rpg and 2.5apg in the 14 games.
Fisher is a naturalized American.
Despite he played previously for the USA university national team, Fisher is currently in the Georgian national team roster.
Apparently he has never played in Georgia.

#5. International point guard Georgi Tsintsadze (192-86, currently plays in Ukraine) was not able to help Budivelnyk (18-6) in their game against Azovmash (17-6) in the Ukrainian Superleague.
Tsintsadze scored 7 points, had 4 rebounds and dished 6 assists.
The league leader Budivelnyk was defeated 87-78 in Mariupol by the lower-ranked Azovmash (#3).
They ended the series of six consecutive victories.
There are only two games left until the end of the Regular Season. So now every game will be critical.
Tsintsadze's overall stats this season are: 7.7ppg, 3.0rpg, 3.3apg and 1.6spg.
He plays currently for the Georgian national team.

#6. Small forward Viktor Sanikidze (203-86, currently plays in Italy) was not able to secure a victory for Montepaschi Siena (10-3) in their game against Umana Venezia (6-7) in the Italian SerieA.
Sanikidze recorded only 4 points and grabbed 4 rebounds in 16 minutes.
Montepaschi Siena was edged 65-63 in Venezia by the lower-ranked (#8) Umana.
It was Montepaschi Siena's first loss after six consecutive victories.
This year Sanikidze's overall stats are: 6.6ppg and 5.5rpg in the 13 games.
He is an international player who is currently on the senior Georgian National Team roster.

#7. Former international power forward Nikoloz Tskitishvili (212-83, currently plays in Lebanon) contributed to an easy victory against the league outsider Antranik (1-9) crushing them 118-79 in the Lebanese Division A in Wednesday night's game.
Tskitishvili scored 11 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, passed 3 assists and added 3 blocks.
Champville (6-4) is placed fifth in the Division A.
It was his team's third consecutive victory in a row.
They will play only one more game in the Regular Season. And now that game is very crucial.
Tskitishvili has individually a very good season with high stats. He averages: 19.6ppg, 12.0rpg, 2.0apg and 3.2bpg.
Tskitishvili used to play for the Georgian national team
two years ago.

#8. Power forward Beka Burjanadze (203-94, currently plays in Spain) managed to help Cajasol Banca Civica Sevilla in a victory against the closely-ranked Blancos de Rueda (6-9) crushing them 94-57 in the Spanish ACB last Sunday.
He scored only 3 points in 6 minutes on the court.
Cajasol Banca Civica Sevilla (4-11) is placed 16th in the ACB.
This year Burjanadze averages just 1.8ppg in the 12 games.
He plays currently for the Georgian U20 national team.

The list of other players, who all have Georgian passport but never been selected to any of Georgian national teams:

#1.Quinton Hosley (201-F/G-84, college: Fresno St., currently plays in Poland), who plays in the Polish TBL could not help Stelmet ZG (9-5) in their last game. Despite his very good performance Stelmet ZG lost 95-99 on the road to the lower-ranked (#9) Siarka Jezioro.
Hosley scored 17 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in 28 minutes.
It was Stelmet ZG's first loss after three consecutive victories.
It's Hosley's first season with the team.
Hosley is currently fourth on the list of top scorers and also on the list of most steals (fourth place).
He has individually a very good year with high stats. Hosley averages: 17.4ppg, 5.7rpg, 2.8apg and 1.9spg in the 14 games he played so far.
He is a naturalized American.
Strangely Hosley has never played in Georgia.

#2.Will Thomas (203-PF-86, currently plays in Turkey) contributed to Karsiyaka's victory against the 14th-ranked Olin Edirne (3-10) 82-70 in the Turkish TBL in Saturday night's game.
He recorded 9 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists.
Pinar Karsiyaka SK Izmir (10-3) is placed fourth in the TBL.
Thomas' overall stats this season are: 8.4ppg and 4.2rpg.
He is a naturalized American.
Thomas used to play for Army Sport Klub Tbilisi in Georgian league.

#3.Melvin Sanders (196-F/G-81, college: Oklahoma St., currently plays in Italy) led Sigma Barcellona to a victory over one of league's weakest teams Upea CdO (3-9) 90-77 in the Italian Lega2 (second division) on Sunday night.
He was the top player that evening. Sanders recorded 19 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists.
Sigma Barcellona (10-3) is placed first in the Lega2.
It was his team's fourth consecutive victory in a row.
This season Sanders has relatively solid stats: 10.3ppg, 6.3rpg and 1.9apg.
He is a naturalized American.
Apparently Sanders has never played in Georgia.

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GERMANY

Chris Kaman selected the top German playing abroad in last week's games - by Eurobasket Center

We bring you last week's top performances from Germans who are playing abroad and who all have had prior experience of national team duties at youth or senior level.

#1. This week's number one is former international center Chris Kaman (213-82, college: Cent.Michigan, currently plays in NBA), who plays in the NBA. He could not help the Dallas Mavericks (13-19) in their last game. Despite Kaman's very good performance the Dallas Mavericks lost in an overtime 105-111 on the road to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
He was the second best scorer with 17 points. Kaman also added 8 rebounds and made 2 blocks in 30 minutes on the court.
It was Mavericks' sixth consecutive loss in a row.
Kaman has individually a very good year with high stats. He averages: 13.6ppg, 6.4rpg, 2FGP: 51.7% and FT: 77.6% in the 30 games he played so far.
Kaman is a naturalized American.
He played for the German senior national team two years ago.
Strangely Kaman has never played in Germany.

#2. Second place goes to an experienced former international forward Dirk Nowitzki (213-78, currently plays in NBA) is a teammate of previously mentioned Chris Kaman. But that was another game of his team in NBA which we would like to mention.
Nowitzki. He was not able to help the Dallas Mavericks (13-19) in their game against the San Antonio Spurs (25-8).
Nowitzki scored 8 points, had 5 rebounds and made 3 blocks.
The Dallas Mavericks were crushed 111-86 in San Antonio by the Spurs.
It's Nowitzki's 15th season with the team.
He has relatively good stats this year: 8.2ppg, 4.0rpg, 3FGP: 36.4% and FT: 83.3%.
Nowitzki played for the German national team in 2011.

#3. The German player who performed third best last week abroad was an international center Tibor Pleiss (215-89, currently plays in Euroleague). Pleiss managed to help Caja Laboral Vitoria to win against the eighth-ranked Olympiacos (0-1) 82-74 in the Euroleague in Thursday night's game.
He recorded 5 points.
Caja Laboral Vitoria (1-0) is placed second in group F.
Pleiss' overall stats this season are: 4.0ppg, 3.1rpg, 2FGP: 42.9% and FT: 91.7%.
He is also a member of the German senior national team.

#4. Shooting guard Patrick Heckmann (196-92, currently plays college basketball in the States) led Boston Coll. to a victory against the College of Holy Cross 70-60 in the NCAA last Saturday.
Heckmann recorded 19 points and had 5 steals in 36 minutes.
The Boston College has conference record this season.
This year Heckmann's overall stats are: 4.0ppg and 3.1rpg in the eight games.
He is also German national team player.

#5. International forward Elias Harris (203-89, currently studies in the States) contributed to Gonzaga's victory against the Baylor University 94-87 in the NCAA last Friday.
Harris scored 17 points, had 7 rebounds and made 2 blocks.
The Gonzaga University has conference record this season.
Harris is one of the most experienced players in a team as it's his fourth year in Gonzaga's roster.
This season he has very high stats. Harris averages: 15.9ppg and 6.4rpg.
He plays currently for the German national team.

#6. Forward Christian Standhardinger (203-89, is currently at the American university) contributed to a 3-point Hawaii's victory against the Cal State - Northridge 74-71 in the NCAA on Saturday night.
Standhardinger recorded 17 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals in 30 minutes.
The University of Hawaii has conference record this season.
Standhardinger has very impressive stats this year: 15.9ppg and 6.4rpg in the 18 games.
He is a former U20 international player as he played for the German team four years ago.

#7. Former U18 international guard Sebastian Koch (203-91, currently plays college basketball in the States) contributed to an Elon's surprising victory against the Manchester College crushing them 84-49 in the NCAA in Monday night's game.
Koch scored 13 points.
The Elon University has 1-1 conference record this season.
This year Koch has very high stats. He averages: 15.9ppg and 6.4rpg.
Koch used to play for the German U18 national team
four years ago.

#8. Forward Dennis Ogbe (201-91, currently plays college basketball in the States) was not able to secure a victory for the Tenn Tech (1-0) in their game against the Jacksonville State University (1-1) in the NCAA.
Ogbe recorded 9 points and grabbed 4 rebounds in 25 minutes.
But the Tenn Tech was crushed 83-62 in Jacksonville, AL by the Jacksonville State University.
This year Ogbe has relatively solid stats: 10.8ppg, 2.9rpg and 1.7apg in the 11 games.
He used to play for the German U20 national team
back in 2011.

#9. U20 international point guard Mario Blessing (188-92, currently plays college basketball in the States) contributed to an easy victory against the Coastal Georgia CC (8-2) crushing them 85-55 in the NCAA last Sunday.
Blessing scored only 4 points, grabbed 4 rebounds and dished 4 assists in 22 minutes.
The South Carolina Upstate has conference record this season.
This year Blessing's total stats are: 4.9ppg, 1.7rpg and 1.3apg in the nine games.
He is also in the roster of the German U20 national team.

#10. Swingman Kevin Bright (196-92, currently plays college basketball in the States) couldn't help the Vanderbilt in their game against the Butler University (0-1) in the NCAA. He cannot count Saturday's game as one of the best ones.
Bright recorded only 3 points in 28 minutes.
The Vanderbilt was badly defeated 68-49 at home by the Butler University.
Bright has averaged so far 4.9ppg, 1.7rpg and 1.3apg in the nine games.
He is U20 international player who is currently on the German National Team roster.

#11. Former U20 international forward Dennis Kramer (211-92, currently plays college basketball in the States) contributed to a 3-point San Diego's victory against the Morgan State University 66-63 in the NCAA last Saturday.
Kramer recorded only 2 points.
Kramer has averaged so far 4.9ppg, 1.7rpg and 1.3apg.
He is a naturalized American.
Kramer used to play for the German U20 national team
two years ago.
Apparently he has never played in Germany.

#12. Former U20 international guard Maodo Lo (190-92, currently plays college basketball in the States) contributed to Columbia's shocking victory against the Manhattan College 69-58 in the NCAA on Saturday night.
Lo recorded only 2 points in 7 minutes on the court.
Lo has averaged so far 4.9ppg, 1.7rpg and 1.3apg in the nine games.
He used to play for the German U20 national team
back in 2011.

#13. Former U18 international forward Davis Martens (206-89, currently plays college basketball in the States) couldn't help the Siena in their game against the La Salle University in the NCAA. Martens cannot count Saturday's game as one of the best ones.
He recorded only 2 points.
His team was crushed by 28 points 80-52.
Martens has averaged so far 4.9ppg, 1.7rpg and 1.3apg.
He used to play for the German U18 national team
six years ago.

#14. International swingman Niels Giffey (201-91, currently plays college basketball in the States) couldn't help the Connecticut in their game against the Marquette University in the NCAA.
He recorded 5 points and grabbed 7 rebounds.
His team was defeated in an overtime 82-76.
Giffey has averaged so far 4.9ppg, 1.7rpg and 1.3apg.
He plays currently for the German national team.

#15. Former U16 international center Enosch Wolf (216-90, currently plays college basketball in the States) is a teammate of previously mentioned Niels Giffey and both played together in the last NCAA game.
Wolf couldn't help the Connecticut in their game against the Marquette University.
He recorded 6 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in 17 minutes.
His team lost in an overtime 76-82.
Wolf has averaged so far 4.9ppg, 1.7rpg and 1.3apg in the nine games.
He used to play for the German U16 national team
seven years ago.

The list of other players, who all have German passport but never been selected to any of German national teams:

#1.Julian Sensley (206-F-82, college: Hawaii, currently plays in South Korea) led Dongbu Promy to a victory over the closely-ranked Samsung Thunders (12-15) 71-63 in the South Korean KBL on Sunday night.
He was MVP of the game. Sensley scored 30 points (!!!) and grabbed 9 rebounds in 27 minutes.
Dongbu Promy (9-18) is placed second from the bottom (#9) in the KBL.
It was his team's fourth consecutive victory in a row.
It's Sensley's first season with the team.
This year he has relatively solid stats: 12.9ppg, 5.3rpg and 2.7apg in the 15 games he played so far.
Sensley is a naturalized American.
Apparently he has never played in Germany.

#2.Joachim Thoss (201-C-81, currently plays in Philippines), who plays in the Filipino PBA could not help Alaska Aces (8-6) in their last game on Wednesday. Despite Thoss' very good performance the fourth-placed Alaska Aces were defeated 93-79 in a derby game by the leading Talk N Text in the Philippine Cup group.
He recorded a double-double by scoring 17 points and getting 14 rebounds.
Thoss is currently fifth on the list of best blockers.
His total stats this season are: 9.1ppg, 6.5rpg, 2.0apg and 1.1bpg.
Thoss has a dual citizenship: German and Filipino.

#3.Urule Igbavboa (203-C-87, college: Valparaiso, currently plays in Sweden), who plays in the Swedish Basketligan was not able to help LF Basket (8-10) in their last game. Despite his very good performance LF Basket lost 91-106 at home to the higher-ranked (#3) Boras Basket.
Igbavboa was the second best scorer with 18 points. He also added 7 rebounds and 2 blocks in 27 minutes.
Igbavboa has individually a very good year with high stats. He averages: 15.9ppg and 6.4rpg in the 18 games.
Igbavboa is a naturalized American.
He used to play for MEG Goettingen in German league.

#4.Bar Timor (190-PG-92, agency: Avi Zilberman, currently plays in Israel) was not able to secure a victory for Hapoel Tel-Aviv (5-6) in their game against Maccabi Ashdod (3-8) in the Israeli Winner League.
He scored 7 points in 24 minutes.
Hapoel Tel-Aviv lost 67-72 on the road to the league outsider (#12) Maccabi Ashdod.
It was Hapoel Tel-Aviv's third consecutive loss in a row.
This year Timor's total stats are: 7.6ppg, 2.8rpg, 4.0apg and 1.2spg in the 11 games.
He is another player who holds two passports: Israeli and German.

#5.Jonathan Mesghna (198-F-89, currently plays college basketball in the States) contributed to Maine's victory against the Quinnipiac College 76-71 in the NCAA on Saturday night.
Mesghna recorded 13 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists.
The University of Maine has conference record this season.
Mesghna's total stats this year are: 7.6ppg, 2.8rpg, 4.0apg and 1.2spg.
He has both German and Eritrean nationalities.

#6.Josh Lockett (203-F/C-89, college: Georgetown, KY, currently plays in United Kingdom), who plays in the British BBL couldn't help the league outsider Liverpool Mersey Tigers (0-16) in their last game. Despite Lockett's very good performance the bottom-ranked Liverpool Mersey Tigers was crushed 96-65 in Manchester by the higher-ranked (#10) Giants.
He was the top scorer with 15 points. Lockett also added 8 rebounds in 31 minutes.
This year Lockett has relatively solid stats: 11.4ppg and 5.3rpg in the seven games.
He is a naturalized American.

#7.Ben Rice (195-F-90, agency: Z.A.G. - Law Offices, currently plays in Israel) couldn't help Bnei Hasharon in their game against Maccabi T-A in the Israeli Winner League.
Rice scored 5 points.
His team was crushed by 28 points 113-85.
This season Rice has relatively solid stats: 10.8ppg, 2.9rpg and 1.7apg.
He also holds two passports: Israeli and German.

#8.Christopher Razis (194-PG-89, currently plays in Cyprus), who plays in the Cypriot Division A couldn't help ENAD (2-5) in their last game on Saturday. Despite Razis' good performance ENAD was defeated 69-62 on their home court in Nicosia by the second-ranked Keravnos.
He recorded 10 points and grabbed 4 rebounds.
Razis' total stats this season are: 4.9ppg, 1.7rpg and 1.3apg.
He has dual citizenship: German and Cypriot.

#9.Till Gloger (203-F-93, currently studies in the States) is a teammate of previously mentioned Jonathan Mesghna and both played together in the last NCAA game.
Gloger managed to help University of Maine to win against the Quinnipiac College 76-71.
He recorded 5 points and grabbed 6 rebounds.
Gloger has averaged so far 4.9ppg, 1.7rpg and 1.3apg.

#10.Malte Kramer (198-F-89, is currently at the American university) contributed to a 1-point Pepperdine's victory against the Fresno Pacific University 60-59 in the NCAA last Friday.
Kramer scored only 1 points in 13 minutes.
Kramer has averaged so far 4.9ppg, 1.7rpg and 1.3apg in the nine games.

PRO B team UBC Tigers Hannover announced today that they have separtated from Finn Huebner (188-G-93) Hunber is a 19 year old 188cm guard that had started the season with SC Itzehoe Eagles (Regionalliga), only pre-season, then moved to UBC Hannover Tigers (ProB). The team stated that the reason for the separation were disciplinary reasons. The German played nine games averaging 1,0ppg. "This decision wasnt easy as we knew that it could have a big influence on his life. We tried numerous times in the last months to support him in his new roll as professional player, but there were many instances in which we were unable to see a rational basis of continuing the cooperation", stated Tigers sport director Michael Goch.

American Johnathon Jones (183-PG-88, agency: TSS Management, college: Oakland) will no longer play for the Fraport Skyliners. The German team announced this morning that the Michigan native will head to Bosnia to play for HKK Siroki WWIN. After the Fraport Skyliners had brought in American Dawan Robinson and Jones had to watch from the stands, it seemed like his days were numbered in Frankfurt. Jones played 14 games for the Fraport Skyliners averaging 25,18 minutes per game and averaging 6,9ppg and dishing out 3,0apg. "I had a great time in Frankfurt and could learn very much. It didnt quite work out the way I wanted to. I want to thank the organization for giving me the chance to paly here and meet so many great people. Now I am looking forward to my new challenge. I wnan to keep learning and show what kind of player I can be. I want to thank all fans in Frankfurt. They were great", stressed Johnatan Jones.

8 time Beko BBL champion Alba Berlin announced today that Derrick Byars (201-G/F-84, agency: Beo Basket, college: Vanderbilt) will stay until the end of the season. Byars came in November after being cut from the San Antonio Spurs roster and played five games in the Beko BBL averaging 7,8ppg and 3,0rpg. The native from Memphis Tennessee also played five Euroleague games averaging 7,2ppg and 3,4rpg. His solid play convinced Alba Berlin management on keeping him until the end of the season. "I heard about getting the contract extension before the game in Bayreuth and it feels good to stay. I am happy that coach is happy with my work and has trust in my abilities", stressed Derrick Byars.

2. Bundesliga Pro B team TSV Breitenguessbach has completed the signing of former NAIA D1 All-American Derrick Parker (198-F). The power forward out of Minden, Louisiana, produced outstanding numbers throughout his college career at LSU Shreveport and received NAIA D1 All-America Second Team honors following the 2011-12 season. Parker ranked first in the NAIA D1 in blocks per game (3.1), total blocks (107) and total rebounds (403). He pulled down 11.5 boards a contest and scored 19.2 points per outing last season.The Breitenguessbach team is currently sitting in last place in the Pro B South standings and has only won two of ten games played so far this season.

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GHANA

2012 Rebound Top 10 - by Eurobasket News

A new tradition is born here at ReboundGH. Just before the end of every year, we'll publish a list of the players we think were the top 10 in country. It's not going to be a list engulfed in paragraphs of text to bore you. Nothing but names, pictures and a few number / descriptions where available or needed. Special shout outs to Rafiq Arthur for the great work he did taking the stats for the Accra League. Let the party begin... Drum-roll..

#1. This week's number one is former international center Kostas Koufos (213-89, college: Ohio St., currently plays in NBA), who plays in the NBA. He could not help the Denver Nuggets (18-15) in their last game. Despite Koufos' very good performance the Denver Nuggets lost 100-112 on the road to the Los Angeles Clippers.
He had a double-double by scoring 16 points and getting 10 rebounds in 27 minutes on the court.
Koufos has relatively good stats this year: 7.4ppg, 6.3rpg, 1.7bpg, 2FGP: 58.8%(107-182) and FT: 58.5% in the 32 games he played so far.
He is a naturalized American.
Koufos played for the Greek senior national team two years ago.
Strangely he has never played in Greece.

#2. Second place goes to an international swingman Kostas Vasiliadis (200-84, agency: FCM, currently plays in Spain), who plays in the Spanish ACB. Vasiliadis was not able to help Gescrap BB (10-5) in their last game on Sunday. Despite his good performance Gescrap BB was defeated 81-74 in Zaragoza by the lower-ranked CAI Zaragoza (#6).
Vasiliadis was the second best scorer with 12 points. He also added 5 rebounds.
This season Vasiliadis has relatively solid stats: 14.1ppg, 3.2rpg, 2.1apg, 2FGP: 52.9%, 3FGP: 37.0% and FT: 88.5%.
He is in the roster of the Greek senior national team.

#3. The Greek player who performed third best last week abroad was former U20 international small forward Dusan Sakota (209-86, agency: Beo Basket, currently plays in Italy). Sakota led Cimberio Varese to a victory against the 12th-ranked Vanoli Cremona (4-9) 94-84 in the Italian SerieA on Sunday night.
He recorded 12 points and grabbed 5 rebounds in a mere 18 minutes.
Cimberio Varese (12-1) is placed first in the SerieA.
It was his team's third consecutive victory in a row.
This year Sakota averages: 6.6ppg, 2.6rpg, 2FGP: 45.5%, 3FGP: 43.9% and FT: 62.5% in the 12 games.
He has a dual citizenship: Serbian and Greek.
Former Panathinaikos Athens starter played for the Greek U20 national team seven years ago.

#4. Guard Nikolaos Zisis (197-83, currently plays in Spain) is a teammate of previously mentioned Kostas Vasiliadis and both played together in the last Spanish ACB game.
Zisis was not able to secure a victory for Gescrap BB (10-5) in their game against CAI Zaragoza (9-6).
He scored 8 points in 25 minutes.
Gescrap BB lost 74-81 in Zaragoza to the lower-ranked (#6) CAI Zaragoza.
Zisis is ranked sixth on the list of the best passers in the league with 3.8apg.
This year he also averages: 7.3ppg and 2.1rpg in the 15 games.
Zisis is also Greek national team player.

#5. International forward Antonis Fotsis (209-81, currently plays in Italy) contributed to an overtime Armani Milano's victory against the 14th-ranked Angelico Biella (3-10) 99-96 in the Italian SerieA on Sunday night.
He recorded 8 points and grabbed 4 rebounds.
EA7 Emporio Armani Milano (7-6) is placed sixth in the SerieA.
Fotsis' overall stats this season are: 7.7ppg and 4.0rpg.
He plays currently for the Greek national team.

#6. Forward Christos Tapoutos (203-82, currently plays in Turkey) couldn't help Olin Edirne (3-10) in their game against Karsiyaka (10-3) in the Turkish TBL, despite his very good performance in Saturday night's game.
Tapoutos was the top scorer with 16 points. He also added 8 rebounds in 30 minutes.
But Olin Edirne lost 70-82 on the opponent's court to the much higher-ranked (#4) Karsiyaka.
It was Olin Edirne's fourth consecutive loss in a row.
This year Tapoutos' overall stats are: 8.8ppg and 4.5rpg in the 10 games.
He is a former international player as he played for the Greek senior team eight years ago.

#7. Former U20 international center Stavros Toutziarakis (210-87, also represented by FCM, currently plays in Sweden) contributed to an easy victory against the tenth-ranked White Eagles (4-15) crushing them 99-66 in the Swedish Basketligan on Friday night.
He recorded 14 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks in a mere 19 minutes.
Solna Vikings (12-7) is placed fourth in the Basketligan.
It was his team's fifth consecutive victory in a row.
Toutziarakis is ranked fifth on the list of the best rebounders in the league with 8.2rpg.
This year his other stats are: 12.7ppg and 1.2apg in the 18 games.
Toutziarakis used to play for the Greek U20 national team
six years ago.

#8. An experienced forward Nikos Barlos (203-79, currently plays in Italy) couldn't help C.de Latte BRE (6-6) in their game against Tuscany Pistoia (9-3) in the Italian Lega2 (second division).
Barlos recorded 9 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in 35 minutes.
But C.de Latte BRE was edged 72-71 in Pistoia by the second-ranked Tuscany.
Barlos has reliable stats this year: 11.3ppg, 5.7rpg and 1.9spg in the 12 games.
He used to play for the Greek national team
back in 2005.

#9. Former international guard Emmanouil Papamakarios (192-80, currently plays in Spain) couldn't help Lagun Aro GBC (2-13) in their game against Blusens Monbus (8-7) in the Spanish ACB.
He scored only 4 points in 31 minutes.
The bottom-ranked Lagun Aro GBC lost 60-71 in Santoago de Comp to the much higher-ranked (#8) Blusens Monbus.
This year Papamakarios' total stats are: 2.8ppg, 1.9rpg and 1.4apg in the 15 games.
He used to play for the Greek national team
eight years ago.

#10. Forward Kyprianos Maragkos (206-94, currently plays college basketball in the States) contributed to an easy victory against the Sacred Heart University crushing them 77-38 in the NCAA in Sunday night's game.
Maragkos scored 8 points and grabbed 5 rebounds.
The The George Washington University has conference record this season.
Maragkos has averaged so far 2.8ppg, 1.9rpg and 1.4apg.
He is U18 international player who is currently on the Greek National Team roster.

#11. U20 international small forward Linos-Spyridon Chrysikopoulos (205-92, currently plays in Italy) faced previously mentioned Antonis Fotsis in the Italian SerieA last game.
Chrysikopoulos couldn't help Angelico Biella in their game against Armani Milano. He cannot count Sunday's game as one of the best ones.
Chrysikopoulos recorded only 3 points.
His team was edged in an overtime 99-96.
Chrysikopoulos has averaged so far 3.6ppg, 2.5rpg and 1.3apg.
He plays currently for the Greek U20 national team.

#12. Former U18 international swingman John Sinis (206-91, currently studies in the States) managed to help University of San Diego to win against the Morgan State University 66-63 in the NCAA last Saturday.
He recorded only 3 points.
Sinis has averaged so far 3.6ppg, 2.5rpg and 1.3apg.
He used to play for the Greek U18 national team
back in 2009.

#13. U18 international swingman Ioannis Papapetrou (203-94, is currently at the American university) contributed to an easy victory against the Rice University 57-41 in the NCAA on Saturday night.
Papapetrou recorded only 3 points in 11 minutes.
Papapetrou has averaged so far 3.6ppg, 2.5rpg and 1.3apg in the 12 games.
He is also Greek U18 national team player.

The list of other players, who all have Greek passport but never been selected to any of Greek national teams:

#1.Pat Calathes (208-G/F-85, college: St.Joseph's, currently plays in Israel) led Maccabi Haifa to a victory against the eighth-ranked Maccabi Rishon (5-6) 79-73 in the Israeli Winner League in Sunday night's game.
Calathes recorded a double-double by scoring 12 points and getting 11 rebounds. He also added 4 assists.
Maccabi Bazan Haifa (8-3) is placed second in the Winner League.
Calathes belongs to league's best rebounders and is ranked #5.
He has very reliable stats this season: 14.3ppg, 9.7rpg and 2.7apg.
Calathes is a naturalized American.
He used to play for Costa Cafe Marousi in Greek league.

#2.Dan Mavraides (193-G-88, college: Princeton, currently plays in Italy) contributed to an overtime Juvecaserta's victory against one of league's weakest teams Air Avellino (3-10) 86-84 in the Italian SerieA last Sunday.
Mavraides recorded 14 points; quite an impressive performance considering it's only his second season in pro basketball. JuveCaserta (6-7) is placed tenth in the SerieA.
Mavraides' total stats this season are: 10.0ppg, 2.0rpg and 1.3spg.
He is a naturalized American.
Mavraides used to play for Aris Thessaloniki in Greek league.

#3.Angelo Tsagarakis (190-G-84, currently plays in France) led Chalons-Reims to a victory over the 12th-ranked Saint Vallier (7-10) 93-74 in the French ProB (second division) in Friday night's game.
He was MVP of the game. Tsagarakis scored 20 points and had 3 steals.
Chalons-Reims (12-5) is placed fourth in the ProB.
It was his team's third consecutive victory in a row.
Tsagarakis has reliable stats this season: 13.9ppg, 1.9rpg and 1.1spg.
He has a dual citizenship: Greek and French.
Despite Tsagarakis' Greek passport, he previously played for the French U20 national team and is probably not eligible to play for the Greek team.

#4.Mannos Nakos (179-PG-88, currently plays in Sweden) contributed to an Uppsala Basket's victory against the seventh-ranked 08 Stockholm (9-9) 96-86 in the Swedish Basketligan on Saturday night.
Nakos recorded 12 points.
Uppsala Basket (14-5) is placed second in the Basketligan.
It's Nakos' fourth season with the team.
His total stats this year are: 6.4ppg and 1.8apg.
Nakos is another player who holds two passports: Greek and Swedish.

#5.Corey Petros (208-F/C-93, currently plays college basketball in the States), who plays in the NCAA could not help the Oakland (1-1) in their last game. Despite his very good performance the Oakland lost 63-73 on the road to the Western Illinois University.
Petros had a double-double by scoring 15 points and getting 11 rebounds in 38 minutes.
This year Petros' total stats are: 6.4ppg and 1.8apg in the 19 games he played so far.
He is a naturalized American.
Apparently Petros has never played in Greece.

#6.Giannis Demertzis (194-PG-83, currently plays in Cyprus) managed to help Keravnos Strovolou to win against the league outsider ENAD 69-62 in the Cypriot Division A last Saturday.
He recorded only 4 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists.
Demertzis' total stats this season are: 4.7ppg, 3.0rpg, 3.1apg and 1.1spg.

#7.Nick Paulos (201-G/F-91, currently studies in the States) was not able to help the NC-Greensboro in their game against the North Carolina State University in the NCAA.
Paulos scored only 4 points in 22 minutes.
His team was crushed by 21 points 89-68.
Paulos has averaged so far 2.8ppg, 1.9rpg and 1.4apg in the 15 games.
He is a naturalized American.
Apparently Paulos has never played in Greece.

#8.James Loupos (198-F-92, is currently at the American university) was not able to secure a victory for the Navy in their game against the Indiana Univ-Purdue Univ.-Ft.Wayne in the NCAA. Loupos cannot count Wednesday's game as one of the best ones.
He scored only 3 points, grabbed 4 rebounds and made 3 blocks in 29 minutes.
His team lost 63-68.
Loupos has averaged so far 3.6ppg, 2.5rpg and 1.3apg in the 12 games.
He is a naturalized American.
Apparently Loupos has never played in Greece.

#9.Peter Pappageorge (183-G, currently plays college basketball in the States) contributed to a Long Beach St.'s victory against the University of Pacific 67-63 in the NCAA in Saturday night's game.
Pappageorge recorded only 3 points.
Pappageorge has averaged so far 3.6ppg, 2.5rpg and 1.3apg.
He is a naturalized American.
Apparently Pappageorge has never played in Greece.

the National Community Basketball League (NCBL) is expected to be completed in January of the New Year due to some challenges faced by the organisers.The tournament which is at its semi-final stage went dormant when the Linden protests began earlier in the year.After the uprising which stalled the Linden teams from coming to Georgetown to play in the semifinal, the organisers faced venue problems to conclude the tournament.However, co-tournament organiser Bobby Cadogan issued that the tournament is at a stage where it needs to be concluded.The NCBL is at a stage where it needs to be completed and we are looking to complete it in January, Cadogan told Guyana Times Sport.Cadogan also pointed out that while the tournament is facing challenges, they are looking to complete it and come bigger in 2013.

The management of Jaszbereny published some hours ago, that they signed naturalized playmaker Dejan Mladenovic (186-G-85, agency: TSS Management) - who left his team Factum Sport because of the club's financial problems - for the rest of the season and parted ways with naturalized shooting guard Robert Laslo (194-G-84, agency: TSS Management). The 186 cm tall Mladenovic got his hungarian citizenship during the summer 2011 and signed his first contract in our country with Kormend. In 34 games he averaged 6.2ppg, 1.0rpg, 1.2apg. Last summer he agreed with Factum Sport Debrecen and helped the last place team with 8.9 points, 1.8 assists and 1.8 rebounds in 25.1 minutes per game. The 194 cm tall Laslo played 10 games for JKSE this season and put up 2.3 points and 1.3 rebounds in only 10.0 minutes on the court per game.

The management of Falco-SZOVA KC informed us, that the club will replace american big man Michael Fey with the slovenian Zeljko Zagorac (204-F-81), who will arrive to Szombathely tomorrow. The 204 cm tall, 31 years old slovenian Zagorac is a very experienced player as he spent several seasons in countries Slovenia, Italy, Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, Turkey and Russia. He has a tough, strong body. He is a good athlete who can run the floor and jump. He has strong hands, very competitive, plays hard, and a leader on the court. He can play inside and outside. Moves well without the ball. He plays unselfish and he is a good rebounder. He started this season with Geoplin Slovan Ljubljana and helped his team with 20.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 0.5 blocks and 0.5 steals in 4 games of the Telemach League.

Ten days ago, Keflavik Basketball Club of Iceland has signed Billy Baptist (6'5''-F-87, college: Quincy), to play with the team in the Dominos League in Iceland. Baptist has been a Kankakee Soldier for 3 seasons and has helped the Soldiers to two IBA League Championships. This year, Baptist fifth in points scored in the Independent Basketball Association, averaging 28 ppg in 13 games. In the rebounding category, Baptist leads all players in the IBA, pulling down 136 rebounds with an average of 10 per game. "Billy has been an incredible asset to our organization on and off the court. He has spent countless hours doing positive thinks with the kids in the community to encourage them to do good things with their lives. He will be missed but we are excited for him to take another step in his professional career", stated head coach Barry Bradford .Keflavik is the most successful club in Iceland last 25 years and has won the Icelandic Championship nine times since 1989 and the Cup Championship six times. This season the team has struggled a little bit as the team has gone through lot of changes and most of the players are under 20 years old. Still the team is in 6th place only three wins from the 1st place and has gone through to the final-8 of the Cup Championship. Billy's first game for Keflavik is slated for the 4th of January in the league and then a massive game in the final-8 of the Cup against local rivals in Njarvk. Keflavik Basketball Club have high hopes on Billy and expect him to bring a little bit of everything to the team and help the team processing to retain the Cup Championship and to make a go at the Icelandic Championship. Sigurour Ingimundarson , Keflaviks head coach, is looking forward to work with Billy. "We are happy to have signed Billy and hope that he can help us on both ends of the court. We have followed him for some while and when we released one of our Americans in December he was our first option. He has experience of playing in Europe which Is a big plus so we are positive he will do well here and help the team achieve something". On Billy Baptists departure from the Kankakee County Soldiers, head coach Barry Bradford said "Billy was having a career year the season, proving himself to be a great scorer, rebounder and defender. I know there organization will be more than pleased with his abilities".

Ten days ago, Keflavik Basketball Club of Iceland has signed Billy Baptist (6'5''-F-87, college: Quincy), to play with the team in the Dominos League in Iceland. Baptist has been a Kankakee Soldier for 3 seasons and has helped the Soldiers to two IBA League Championships. This year, Baptist fifth in points scored in the Independent Basketball Association, averaging 28 ppg in 13 games. In the rebounding category, Baptist leads all players in the IBA, pulling down 136 rebounds with an average of 10 per game. "Billy has been an incredible asset to our organization on and off the court. He has spent countless hours doing positive thinks with the kids in the community to encourage them to do good things with their lives. He will be missed but we are excited for him to take another step in his professional career", stated head coach Barry Bradford .Keflavik is the most successful club in Iceland last 25 years and has won the Icelandic Championship nine times since 1989 and the Cup Championship six times. This season the team has struggled a little bit as the team has gone through lot of changes and most of the players are under 20 years old. Still the team is in 6th place only three wins from the 1st place and has gone through to the final-8 of the Cup Championship. Billy's first game for Keflavik is slated for the 4th of January in the league and then a massive game in the final-8 of the Cup against local rivals in Njarvk. Keflavik Basketball Club have high hopes on Billy and expect him to bring a little bit of everything to the team and help the team processing to retain the Cup Championship and to make a go at the Icelandic Championship. Sigurour Ingimundarson , Keflaviks head coach, is looking forward to work with Billy. "We are happy to have signed Billy and hope that he can help us on both ends of the court. We have followed him for some while and when we released one of our Americans in December he was our first option. He has experience of playing in Europe which Is a big plus so we are positive he will do well here and help the team achieve something". On Billy Baptists departure from the Kankakee County Soldiers, head coach Barry Bradford said "Billy was having a career year the season, proving himself to be a great scorer, rebounder and defender. I know there organization will be more than pleased with his abilities".

Israeli National League round 11 best performance: Vernon Teel - by Eurobasket News

American guard Vernon Teel (193-G-87, agency: FCM) had an amazing evening in the last round for Elitzur Ramla, receiving a Eurobasket.com National League Player of the Week award for round 11.The 25-year old player had a double-double of 21 points and 11 rebounds, while his team outclassed Maccabi K/G (3-8) with 28-point margin 80-52. The game rather meaningless between the teams, which do not have any influence on the top of the standings. Elitzur Ramla is placed at 11th position in Israeli National League. Too late to salvage the team, which is currently ranked such low. They already lost 8 games and recorded just three victories. In the team's last game Teel had a remarkable 66.7% from 2-point range. He turned to be Elitzur Ramla's top player in his first season with the team. Vernon Teel averages just after three games 23.0ppg, 6.3rpg and 5.7apg.

The second best player in last round's games was 27-year old Nigerian Chukwudinma Odiakosa (203-F/C-85, agency: N.E.T.) of Hod Hasharon. Odiakosa had a very good evening with a double-double of 22 points and 15 rebounds. Bad luck as Hod Hasharon lost that game 68-89 to the higher-ranked Ironi Nes-Ziona (#1, 10-1). It was definitely game of the week between two contenders to the title. Hod Hasharon still maintains its place in the top 4 of the standings, even despite this loss. His team's 8-3 record is not bad at all. Odiakosa is a newcomer at Hod Hasharon, but is already one of team's top players. He belongs to the best scorers in the league with 20.3ppg (#4). He also registered 15.4 boards per game.

Third on the list of top players last round was another Elitzur Ramla's star - American forward Johndre Jefferson (207-F-88). Jefferson scored 18 points and grabbed thirteen rebounds (!!!). He was another key player of Elitzur Ramla, helping his team with a 80-52 easy win against Maccabi K/G (3-8). Elitzur Ramla can only dream about fighting for top spots in the league. They have rather bad season and 3-8 record places them close to the bottom of the standings. Too bad for Jefferson he does not play for a better team. But maybe if he did, his season stats would not be that high. Jefferson has individually a great season in Israel. After only 6 games, he made it on the list of the league's leaders in rebounds with 13.2rpg (3rd best). He also has 3.3bpg and FGP: 62.1%.

The Player of the week is choosen based on efficiency calculation, but also including game result, importance of the game, if played recorded double-double/triple-double, etc.The efficiency formula is a combination of various formulas used by different basketball organizations/leagues. We got involved many basketball scouts and journalists to assure it's accuracy.The formula: 1.5*PTS + 3*(REB+AST+ST+BL-TO) - 2*BSAG - 4*PF + 3*PFRV + 4*(2FGPM+3FGPM) + 1.5*FTM - 3*(2FGPA-2FGPM) - 3*(3FGPA-3FGPM) - (FTA-FTM)

American forward Marcus Dove (206-F-85) had an amazing evening in the last round for Elizur Ashkelon, receiving a Eurobasket.com Player of the Week award for round 11.The 27-year old player had a double-double of 25 points and 12 rebounds, while his team beat Galil Gilboa (#10, 3-8) 82-69. Elizur Ashkelon is placed at 7th position in Israeli Winner League. Elizur Ashkelon is a typical solid league team placed somewhere in the middle or a little bit lower in the standings. They need more victories to improve their 5-6 record. Dove turned to be Elizur Ashkelon's top player in his first season with the team. Marcus Dove averages this season 15.8ppg and 8.1rpg.

The second best player in last round's games was 25-year old American Julian Wright (203-F-87) of Maccabi Rishon. Wright had a very good evening with a double-double of 21 points and 11 rebounds. Bad luck as Maccabi Rishon lost that game 73-79 to the higher-ranked Maccabi Haifa (#2, 8-3). This loss caused Maccabi Rishon to drop to 8th position in the standings. His team is not often considered as one of the league's best with a mere 5-6 record. Wright is a newcomer at Maccabi Rishon, but is already one of team's top players. He belongs to the best scorers in the league with 16.4ppg (#7). He also registered 9.8 boards per game.

Third on the list of top players last round was American swingman Romel Beck (201-G/F-82, agency: Interperformances) of Bnei Hasharon (#9). Beck got into 30-points club by scoring 32 points in the last round. Despite Beck's great performance Bnei Hasharon lost 85-113 to the higher-ranked Maccabi T-A (#1, 10-1). But his team cannot count on just a single shooter as he also needs help of the other teammates. The chances of Bnei Hasharon not to end season at such low position in the league, however are less than slim as they have already lost 7 games, recording just four victories. With bigger assistance of his teammates, Beck could try to bring Bnei Hasharon's a little bit higher in the standings. Beck has individually a great season in Israel. After 11 games, he made it on the list of the league's leaders in points with 19.0ppg (best scorer).

The Player of the week is choosen based on efficiency calculation, but also including game result, importance of the game, if played recorded double-double/triple-double, etc.The efficiency formula is a combination of various formulas used by different basketball organizations/leagues. We got involved many basketball scouts and journalists to assure it's accuracy.The formula: 1.5*PTS + 3*(REB+AST+ST+BL-TO) - 2*BSAG - 4*PF + 3*PFRV + 4*(2FGPM+3FGPM) + 1.5*FTM - 3*(2FGPA-2FGPM) - 3*(3FGPA-3FGPM) - (FTA-FTM)

Maccabi Ashdod lands Austin Freeman - by Eurobasket News

Maccabi Ashdod (Winner League) tabbed 24-year old American guard Austin Freeman (190-99kg-89, college: Georgetown). He played recently at Hapoel Eilat in National League. In 11 National League games this season he averaged 12.6ppg, 3.4rpg, 2.5apg and 1.2spg. The last season he played at LeGamberi Foods Forli (previous name MarcoPoloShop) in Italian Lega2. In 22 games last year he was fourth best scorer with impressive 20.9ppg and recorded 4.5rpg, 2.9apg and 1.9spg.Among other achievements Freeman played in the final of Big East Tournament in 2008 and 2010. He received also NABC Division I All-District 5 1st Team award in 2011 at his college time.He attended Georgetown University until 2011 and it will be his second season in pro basketball.

By Eurobasket Data Center

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ITALY

Prima Veroli lands Paul Marigney - by Eurobasket News

Prima Veroli (Lega2) tabbed 31-year old American guard Paul Marigney (192-92kg-82, college: St.Marys, CA). He played recently at Aget Service Imola (Lega2). In 11 games this season he averaged impressive 19.8ppg, 6.1rpg, 3.5apg and 1.3spg. Marigney also spent pre-season at Victoria Libertas Pesaro (previous name Scavolini PS) earlier that year. The last season he played at Givova Scafati. In 37 Lega2 games last year he had very impressive stats: 21.2ppg, 4.6rpg, 3.4apg and 2.3spg. He helped them to make it to the semifinals. He can count that season as a very successful as was selected to Eurobasket.com All-Italian Lega2 1st Team and All-Imports Team.Marigneys team was regular season runner-up in WCC in 2005.He has played previously professionally in France (JDA Dijon) and Italy (VL Pesaro, Trenkwalder RE, Pavia, Naturhouse Ferrara and Casalpusterlengo).Marigney attended Saint Marys College of California until 2005 and it will be his eighth season in pro basketball.

Marques Green (167-PG-82, college: St.Bonaventure) is officially the new point guard of Olimpia Milano. He has agreed terms until the end of the season. 31 years old, veteran of italian Serie A, Green spent the best seasons of his career with Scandone Avellino: in 3 years, he won a Coppa Italia (and he is the recordman of assists in a single game of the competition, 20, served against Milano), leading Avellino to playoff semifinals in 2007-08. He was the best assistman of Italian Serie A in 2010/11 and 2011/12, ending last season with 16.1 ppg and 6.5 apg. He also played with Roanne and Nancy Sluc (France-ProA), Casa TED Kolejliler Ankara and Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul (Turkey-TBL), Scavolini Pesaro. Green began the current season with KK Cedevita Zagreb (Croatia-A1), facing Milano in Euroleague (2 points and 5 assists in the firs match, 5 points and 4 assists in the second). During his last college year, he was a teammate of JR Bremer, now shooting guard of Milano.

Liga e pare Round 7: Kastrioti defeats Malisheva in the game between Top 4 teams - by Eurobasket News

Liga e pare is at the halfway of the Regular Season and there are still another 7 rounds left. Host teams show no mercy winning all games.

An interesting game for Kastrioti (6-1) which hosted in Kastrioti 3rd placed Malisheva (4-3). Second ranked Kastrioti had an easy win 83-68. Kastrioti have a solid series of three victories in a row. They maintain second place with 6-1 record behind leader BC Studenti. Malisheva at the other side keeps the third position with three games lost. They share it with Futura. Kastrioti are looking forward to face Ylli (#7) in Therande in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. Malisheva will play on the road against Skenderaj (#8) and is hoping to prove to their supporters that this time they can win. Llapi Podujeve's fans can finally celebrate the first win of their team after five consecutive loses. They used home court advantage to defeat Fushe (3-4) 79-73. Llapi Podujeve (1-5) left bottom position moving up to sixth place. Fushe at the other side keeps the fifth position with four games lost. Llapi Podujeve will play against higher ranked Futura (#4) in Prishtina in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Fushe will play against the league's leader BC Studenti and hopes to get back on the winning track. Liga e pare top team - BC Studenti (7-0) had no problems winning another game on Saturday. This time they crushed sixth ranked Ylli (2-5) 111-30. Undefeated BC Studenti have an impressive series of seven victories in a row. They maintain first place with 7-0 record. Ylli lost third consecutive game. They dropped to the seventh position with five games lost. BC Studenti will meet at home Fushe (#5) in the next round. Ylli will play against the league's second-placed Kastrioti and hope to secure a win. Bottom-ranked Skenderaj is still unable to win any game. This time they lost on the road their sixth consecutive match to fourth ranked Futura (4-3) 103-62. The victory was the third consecutive win for Futura. They moved-up to third place, which they share with Malisheva. Skenderaj lost their sixth game in a row. They still closes the standings with six games lost. Futura's next round opponent will be Llapi Podujeve (#6) on the road. Skenderaj will play against Malisheva and hopes to get finally their first victory.

An interesting game for Kastrioti (6-1) which hosted in Kastrioti 3rd placed Malisheva (4-3). Second ranked Kastrioti had an easy win 83-68. Kastrioti have a solid series of three victories in a row. They maintain second place with 6-1 record behind leader BC Studenti. Malisheva at the other side keeps the third position with three games lost. They share it with Futura. Kastrioti are looking forward to face Ylli (#7) in Therande in the next round which should be theoretically an easy game. Malisheva will play on the road against Skenderaj (#8) and is hoping to prove to their supporters that this time they can win.

Liga e pare top team - BC Studenti (7-0) had no problems winning another game on Saturday. This time they crushed sixth ranked Ylli (2-5) 111-30. BC Studenti have an impressive series of seven victories in a row. They maintain first place with 7-0 record. Ylli lost third consecutive game. They dropped to the seventh position with five games lost. BC Studenti will meet at home Fushe (#5) in the next round. Ylli will play against the league's second-placed Kastrioti and hope to secure a win.

Llapi Podujeve's fans can finally celebrate the first win of their team after five consecutive loses. They used home court advantage to defeat Fushe (3-4) 79-73. Llapi Podujeve (1-5) left bottom position moving up to sixth place. Fushe at the other side keeps the fifth position with four games lost. Llapi Podujeve will play against higher ranked Futura (#4) in Prishtina in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Fushe will play against the league's leader BC Studenti and hopes to get back on the winning track.

Bottom-ranked Skenderaj is still unable to win any game. This time they lost on the road their sixth consecutive match to fourth ranked Futura (4-3) 103-62. The victory was the third consecutive win for Futura. They moved-up to third place, which they share with Malisheva. Skenderaj lost their sixth game in a row. They still closes the standings with six games lost. Futura's next round opponent will be Llapi Podujeve (#6) on the road. Skenderaj will play against Malisheva and hopes to get finally their first victory.

KK Cedevita Zagreb (A1) is close to ink 25-year old Montenegrin ex-international power forward Vladimir Dasic (208-107kg-88) who played last time at Besiktas Istanbul in Turkey. In three TBL games this season he averaged 7.3ppg, 3.3rpg and 1.0spg. He also played 8 games in Euroleague where he had 4.6ppg, 1.8rpg and 1.0apg. The last season Dasic played at Union Olimpija Ljubljana in Slovenian Telemach League. In 14 games he had 12.6ppg, 5.9rpg, 1.1apg and 1.8spg (in top 5). He helped them to win the cup and make to league final. Dasic also played 13 games in Adriatic League where he had 9.3ppg, 4.5rpg, 1.3apg and 1.5spg. He also played at Lottomatica Roma in Italian SerieA earlier that season. In 8 games he had 11.0ppg, 5.6rpg and 1.1spg (in top 3).Among other achievements Dasic received Eurobasket.com All-Italian SerieA Honorable Mention award in 2011.He was also a member of Montenegrin international program for some years. Dasic played for Montenegrin Senior National Team between 2008 and 2012 and previously for U21 National Team back in 2007. He also represented Montenegro at the Qualifications to European Championships 2013 last year. His stats at that event were 10 games: 15.1ppg, 6.7rpg, 2.2apg, Steals-5(2.5spg), FGP: 58.8%, 3PT: 32.6%, FT: 76.5%.Dasic has played previously professionally in Spain (Real Madrid and Herbalife Gran Canaria 2014) and Montenegro (Buducnost).

By Eurobasket Data Center (via @DjordjeMatic)

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NAIA

Griffins Close on 26-7 Run to Win Tom Byron Title - by Eurobasket News

SANTA BABARA, Calif. - The seventh-ranked Westminster (Utah) men's basketball team avenged its only loss of the season with a thrilling comeback win over No. 5 Westmont (Calif.) in the championship game of the 37th Annual Tom Byron Classic, 78-71.

The win is the ninth straight for Westminster and improves them to 13-1 overall on the season. They become the first team to defeat Westmont (10-3) in their annual tournament since 2006.

"This was an excellent win for our program," head coach Adam Hiatt said. "I felt we were pressing too much in the first half and once we calmed down we were able to defend them."

After falling behind 16-4 in the first six minutes of the game, Westminster responded with a run of 14-3 to cut the deficit to 19-18 at the 10:27 mark. Blake Skidmore sparked the run with five quick points off the bench and Jordan Bjornberg (6'5''-F-90) came up with six points during the run, including two put back layups.

Jake Orchard would score the Griffins next eight points, including a triple and an original three-point-play. Westmont would push the lead back to 12 after threes from Preston Branson and Jason Ritchey and layups by Daniel Carlin and Niko Brooks. The half would end with the Warriors holding a 39-28 advantage after holding the Griffins without a field goal for the final 5:32.

The Griffins would open the second half with back-to-back layups from Alex Drecksel (6'4''-F) and Colton Moon to start 11-5 run that got them within six with 16:03 left. They would get the deficit back within 60-52 when Brooks made another three for Westmont to push the lead back to 11 with seven minutes left.

A put-back from Bjornberg and another from Tallon Robertson (6'5''-G) would get the Griffins back within six as the game reached five minutes to play. Moon would knock down a long three after Robertson grabbed an offensive rebound and it was 63-61 Westmont. Moon would then get fouled attempting a three on the next Griffin possession and make two to tie the game for the first time of the night and cap a 9-0 by the Griffins.

Westminster would take their first lead of the night with 3:45 to play when Orchard made a layup to push the Griffins run to 11 straight points. Another Moon triple with 2:45 to play broke a 65-65 tie and gave the sophomore eight points in the half. Robertson would post back-to-back layups to force a Westmont timeout and the Griffins led 72-65 with just over one minute left.

The Griffins would seal the game at the line and finished the contest on a 26-7 run. They held Westmont to 2-of-11 shooting and forced four turnovers during the decisive run.

"Once we got the game even I felt real good about our chances," Hiatt commented. "We were forcing them into turnovers and making them play outside of their comfort zone.

Westminster would shoot 46.3 percent from the floor in the win and turned it up in the second half where they made 55.6 percent of their shots. They were just 5-of-17 from beyond the arc, but closed the rebounding gap down the stretch. Again the Griffins took advantage of miscues by the opposition. Westmont committed 23 turnovers which resulted in 30 Griffin points.

Orchard led four Griffins in double figures with 17 points by doing most of his damage at the foul line where he was 10-of-13. Moon finished with 14 points, all after halftime, and had three treys, one assist and two steals. Bjornberg finished with 12 points and seven rebounds off the bench while Drecksel added 10 points.

Robertson was named the tournament's most valuable player after scoring 30 points in the two games. He had nine points on Saturday and led the team with nine rebounds and three blocked shots. Orchard and Moon were also named to the all-tournament team.

Preston Branson led the Warriors with 16 points and joined the three Griffins on the all-tournament team. Niko Brooks had 15 points and two steals with Cooper Damron going for 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Westminster will return to Frontier Conference play next as the travel to Lewiston, Idaho to face Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) on Jan. 3. The action from the Lewiston Activity Center will begin at 8:30 p.m. Courtesy of: http://www.naia.org

Massimino amasses 700 career wins at Northwood - by Eurobasket News

Story by Chris Kendrick, Northwood Sports Information

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Northwood University (Fla.) head coach Rollie Massimino achieved a coaching milestone, capturing his 700th career win, as the Seahawks defeated visiting Valor Christian, 106-73, in their opening game of the 2012 Chuck Daly Memorial Classic, hosted at Northwood University.

With the victory, Massimino becomes the 35th coach ever to amass 700 wins in the NCAA and NAIA ranks. He is one of only three active coaches to have reached the 700-win plateau. In his 37-year career, Massimino has a record of 700-429, with 184 of his wins coming at Northwood University. Prior to taking the helm at Northwood seven years ago, Massimino has coached at Stony Brook, Villanova, UNLV, and Cleveland State, including the 1985 NCAA National Championship title while at Villanova.

The Warriors were powered by sophomore guard Adam Cunningham with a team-high 16 points and five rebounds. Senior guard Yves Saintelo and freshman guard Ulrick Paul each scored 13 points in the loss.

The Seahawks outrebounded the Warriors, 50-42, during the contest. Northwood shot 54.1% (40-of-74) from the floor, including 26.7% (4-of-15) from three-point range and 81.5% (22-of-27) from the foul line. Valor Christian was 30.6% (22-of-72) from the field, 28% (7-of-25) from three-point and 66.7% (22-of-33) from the foul line.

The Seahawks improved to 13-1 on the season, while Valor Christian dropped to 8-4 on the year. Northwood returns to the court Sunday night to face McPherson (Kan.) in the championship of the Chuck Daly Classic. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Courtesy of: http://www.naia.org

Golden St.W. - LA Clippers 115-94OAKLAND, Calif., Jan. 3 (UPI) -- Stephen Curry (6'3''-PG-88, college: Davidson) hit six of Golden State's 12 baskets from 3-point range Wednesday and led the Warriors to a 115-94 decision over the Los Angeles Clippers. After winning 17 straight games, the Clippers have lost twice in as many nights. The Warriors have captured four in a row and, despite the long Los Angeles streak, Golden State has stayed within 2 games of the Clippers at the top of the Pacific Division. Golden State, which has captured 12 of its last 15, will meet the Clippers again Saturday in Los Angeles. Curry scored 31 points, David Lee (6'9''-F-83, agency: Priority Sports, college: Florida) added 24 points and 13 rebounds and Klay Thompson chipped in 19 points. The Warriors went 12-of-23 from long range and won the rebounding battle by 15. Los Angeles was within four midway through the second period but fell behind by 13 at halftime and could not make a game of it during the final two periods. Jamal Crawford came off the bench to score 24 points for the Clippers and Chris Paul added 23. Courtesy of: www.upi.com

Phoenix Suns - Philadelph.76 95-89PHOENIX - Luis Scola (6'9''-F/C-80) scored 19 of his 21 points in the second half and the Phoenix Suns beat the Philadelphia 76ers 95-89 Wednesday night to snap a six-game losing streak. Goran Dragic added 20, Shannon Brown scored 12, and Marcin Gortat (6'11''-C-84) had 11 points and 14 rebounds for the Suns. Jrue Holliday had 16 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for his second career triple-double for the 76ers, who are 2-7 in the second half of back-to-back games. Dorell Wright and Thaddeus Young had 14 points apiece for Philadelphia. Holliday found Wright breaking down the left baseline from halfcourt for an alley-oop layup that pulled the 76ers within 87-85 with 2:16 to go. But Dragic made a pair of free throws, P.J. Tucker hit a 16-footer and the 76ers turned the ball over twice over the next minute as the Suns opened a 91-85 lead. Courtesy of: www.foxnews.com

Utah Jazz - Minnesota T. 106-84SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Gordon Hayward (6'9''-G/F-90, agency: Priority Sports, college: Butler) scored 17 points, Enes Kanter had 15 and the Utah Jazz beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 106-84 on Wednesday night to snap a three-game losing streak. Paul Millsap started 7 of 7 for Utah and finished with 14 points, and Jamaal Tinsley had 12 on 6-of-8 shooting. Tinsley started in place Mo Williams, who learned earlier in the day he will be out six weeks after opting for surgery on his right thumb. The game marked the return of Andrei Kirilenko, who played 10 seasons for the Jazz before being allowed to leave via free agency two years ago. The crowd warmly welcomed the small forward nicknamed AK-47 with a round of applause during introductions. He hit his first three shots but finished with just 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting. Alexey Shved and Kevin Love led Minnesota (14-14) with 13 apiece and Love added 10 rebounds but neither shot well. Love was 4-of-14 shooting and Shved shot 3 of 10 Nikola Pekovic had 11 points for Minnesota. The Timberwolves made just 29 of 84 shots, including 2 of 17 from beyond the arc. The made only 12 of 40 shots in the second half. They were outscored 56-36 in the paint and 25-8 on the break. Utah (16-17) trailed by one after the first quarter but opened the second on a 15-4 run and the third on an 11-0 run. They led by as many as 20 in the third quarter, and unlike last week when they blew a 19-point lead against the Los Angeles Clippers, they kept pouring it on. Six Jazz players scored in double figures, the kind of effort they will need if they hope to climb back into the playoff picture. Millsap, who has seen his playing time decrease with the emergence of Derrick Favors, missed his only shot midway through the fourth quarter before exiting for good. Marvin Williams added 11 points and five rebounds for Utah. The Jazz were reeling before the game after learning Mo Williams would be out for so long. But coach Tyrone Corbin and his players expressed confidence in veteran backups Tinsley and Earl Watson. Tinsley showed his leadership, making 5 of 6 shots in the first half, including one where he bounced the inbounds pass off the backside of Pekovic for an easy layup. Watson finished with nine assists, including five in the first half when the Jazz led by as many as 10. The Jazz opened the second quarter on their first big run, with reserves Kanter and Watson providing the biggest punch. Kanter hit an outside jumper, jammed after a long pass from Watson and went coast-to-coast on a steal for another dunk. The heady Watson fed players for alley-oops and pushed the ball up the court with long passes, including one that resulted in a Hayward dunk and 40-30 Jazz lead. Utah dominated on points in the paint, holding a 32-18 first-half advantage. The Timberwolves also shot just 38.6 percent in the first half, including 1 of 8 from beyond the arc as they trailed 53-45 at the break. Kirilenko, who was drafted in 1999 by the Jazz (24th overall pick), acknowledged he wasn't sure what kind of a reception he would receive. While the fans were kind, the opposing players were too much for the T-Wolves. Utah was motivated after enduring tough back-to-back losses against the Clippers to close out 2012. They started 2013 on a much better note. NOTES: Utah's roster is full at 15 because guard Raja Bell counts even though he is not with the team. The Jazz failed to trade him following a nasty dispute with Corbin last season. ..Kirilenko still has his home in Salt Lake City and his Kirilenko's Kids charity. .. Love received a technical during Utah's big third-quarter run. Jazz PF Favors had perhaps his best move of the season when he spun around Greg Steimsma during Utah's big second-quarter run. . Former Jazz coach Jerry Sloan was in the stands again to see Kirilenko's return. Courtesy of: www.northjersey.com

Oklah.City T. - Brooklyn N. 93-110OKLAHOMA CITY - P.J. Carlesimo's first big motivational message as the interim coach of the Brooklyn Nets earned him an elusive win in Oklahoma City, and perhaps the kind of jolt his team needs to get out of a monthlong funk. Joe Johnson (6'7''-G-81, college: Arkansas) scored a season-high 33 points, Deron Williams added 19 points and 13 assists, and the Nets snapped Oklahoma City's 12-game home winning streak by beating the Thunder 110-93 Wednesday night in a game featuring the first ejection of Kevin Durant's career. Johnson said Carlesimo 'jumped on us' after a 31-point thumping at San Antonio two nights earlier, stressing the importance of ball movement on offense and helping each other out on defense. 'To be honest, it helped,' Johnson said. 'It translated into the game because we were in a spot defensively that we hadn't been in in a while. We was talking, communicating, the ball was moving great, guys were getting wide-open shots and it just kind of played into our hands.' The Nets built a 23-point lead late in the second quarter, then allowed Oklahoma City to tie it at 85 before ripping off a 23-8 run to seize control right back. Durant was ejected near the end of the surge, arguing with Danny Crawford after the referee had already issued a technical foul against Kendrick Perkins (6'10''-C-84). 'I just thought it was a bad call. You get frustrated throughout a game, you show emotion. That's how you can tell you love it,' said Durant, who scored 27 points. The three-time scoring champion had never before been ejected in his six NBA seasons but got tossed after Brooklyn rallied largely from the foul line. The Nets made 11 free throws in a span of just over 5 minutes, pulling away after Oklahoma City had finally fought all the way back. But Durant said it wasn't a disparity in foul calls or any cumulative complaint about the officiating that sent him to the showers early. 'I said, It's a bad call,'' he said. 'They've got a quick trigger now.' 'I think I'm allowed to be frustrated, especially in this league. With the ups and downs, the players are allowed to be frustrated,' Durant added. 'It is what it is, move on from it.' Brook Lopez added 25 points as Brooklyn ended a seven-game losing streak in the series and got Carlesimo a victory against the team that fired him back in 2008. He'd only had one win in Oklahoma City during his abbreviated tenure in charge of the Thunder, getting fired after a 1-12 start after the team's summer relocation from Seattle. He started his interim stint with the Nets by notching wins against Charlotte and Cleveland before the 104-73 blowout loss at San Antonio. 'For whatever reason, we didn't have quite the same kind of energy in San Antonio, but we learned from it. ... Tonight was tremendous energy,' Carlesimo said. Johnson gave him credit for the turnaround, but he deflected it to Gerald Wallace, who was back in the starting lineup after sitting out Monday's game with a bruised left knee. 'Gerald Wallace is a monster. You want to talk about something that wasn't in San Antonio? Gerald Wallace, because Gerald Wallace is kind of the heart, the way he plays,' Carlesimo said. 'So, it's not easy for us to play without Gerald Wallace.' The Nets have been seeking a spark after following a strong November, when Avery Johnson was named the Eastern Conference's coach of the month, by going 3-10 and costing him his job. 'It's huge any time you play a good team, but particularly when you play them on the road,' Carlesimo said. 'Honestly, this is a big-time win. It's a great, great win.' Russell Westbrook had 26 points and 10 assists for Oklahoma City, which lost for only the third time at home this season. The Thunder clamped down after trailing by 16 at halftime, rallying to pull within 71-68 when Westbrook finished off a 12-3 burst with a jumper from the left elbow with 3:47 left in the third quarter. Lopez powered his way in for a two-handed slam to stem the tide for Brooklyn, but Oklahoma City kept coming. Durant and Kevin Martin connected on consecutive 3-pointers to finally even it up at 85 with 7:11 to play, only for Johnson to answer with a runner at the other end to put the Nets right back ahead and start the clinching run. Brooklyn shot exactly 50 percent, becoming just the second team to hit at least half of its shots against Oklahoma City. 'Offense is not what lost us the game. It's not because we didn't make enough shots or we didn't have enough assists,' Durant said. 'We just didn't play any defense.' Carlesimo spoke as though he held no grudge against the Thunder, who replaced him - then on an interim basis - with Scott Brooks, who has overseen the team's rise into a championship contender. Back when Carlesimo was in charge, Durant was starting his second year in the NBA and Westbrook was a rookie who had yet to break into the starting lineup. Now, they're both established All-Stars. 'It's a team I feel closer to than a lot of other teams. Hopefully, we helped KD and Nick (Collison) a little bit and Russell a tiny bit that first year, but I think it's safe to say they've gone on and overcome whatever coaching they got from me,' Carlesimo said, drawing laughs. At the start, it looked like Carlesimo's new squad would run away with it against the Thunder, who started the day with the league's best record. Johnson and Lopez combined to go 9 for 9 from the field to propel the Nets to a quick 27-11 lead, and the lead grew to as much as 23 twice - including at 55-32 after Johnson drilled a 3-pointer off a touch pass from Wallace. Notes: Carlesimo's only win with the Thunder - after the SuperSonics had relocated from Seattle - came at home on Nov. 2, 2008, against Minnesota. ... The Thunder's largest previous deficit of the season was 16 in a loss at home against Memphis. ... Oklahoma City got a delay of game warning for failing to get onto the court in time for tip-off, as part of the NBA's emphasis on allowing teams 90 seconds between the end of introductions and the tip-off. ... Nets reserve Jerry Stackhouse sat out with a sore right hamstring. Courtesy of: http://www.northjersey.com

Milwaukee B. - San Antonio S. 110-117MILWAUKEE, Jan. 2 (UPI) -- Both Tim Duncan (6'11''-F/C-76, college: Wake Forest) and Tony Parker (6'2''-PG-82) provided a double-double Wednesday while carrying San Antonio to a 117-110 victory over Milwaukee. The Spurs stretched their winning streak to seven games, hitting 51 percent of their shots and making 9-of-17 from beyond the 3-point line. Duncan had 28 points and 13 rebounds while Parker delivered 23 points and 11 assists. San Antonio led by as many as 24 points in the third quarter. Brandon Jennings paced the Bucks with 31 points and John Henson had 20. San Antonio has won six of its last seven meetings with Milwaukee. The Spurs will try to make it eight wins in a row Thursday in New York. Courtesy of: www.upi.com

Miami Heat - Dallas M. 119-109 OTDirk Nowitzki (7'0''-F-78) hit a jumper to send the game to overtime, but the Miami Heat dominated the extra period to grab a 119-109 victory at home on Wednesday night. LeBron James nearly notched a triple-double and the Miami Heat avoided their third loss in four games by defeating the Dallas Mavericks, 119-109, in overtime on Wednesday night at AmericanAirlines Arena. Dirk Dirk Nowitzki sent the game to overtime on a jumper with 3.9 seconds left after Shane Battier knocked down a three-pointer seconds earlier to put Miami (22-8) up, 103-101. Dallas (13-20) had led 100-94 with 3:36 remaining, but scored just one point between then and Dirk Nowitzki's game-tying jumper. Dallas opened the game strong, jumping out to a 30-22 lead after the first quarter and pushing that out to double digits several times in the second quarter. Miami stormed back late in the half, trimming their deficit to 52-50 at the break. The Heat appeared to take control of the game in the third quarter, but the Mavericks fought back to set up the frantic final few minutes. James finished with a game-high 32 points on 11-of-20 shooting and 9-of-11 from the line. He also pulled down 12 rebounds and narrowly missed the triple-double with nine assists. Dwyane Wade added 27 points and 10 rebounds, while Chris Bosh had 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Ray Allen had 15 points and seven rebounds off the bench. O.J. Mayo scored 30 points on 12-of-21 shooting in the loss. Dirk Nowitzki had 19 points and six rebounds off the bench as he continues to get acclimated to game action after returning from injury. Courtesy of: http://www.sbnation.com

Boston C. - Memphis G. 83-93By the time the Celtics injected some energy and passion into their play, it was too late. The deficit was 18 points, and they needed to be perfect in the final 12 minutes to give themselves an opportunity to compensate for the first three quarters. But nothing about this Celtics team is perfect. With a handful of chances to pull off a dramatic rally, they were unable to capitalize. Three missed free throws by Kevin Garnett (6'11''-F/C-76), two inexplicable 3-point attempts by Rajon Rondo, and a vanishing act from Paul Pierce (6'7''-F/G-77, college: Kansas). These are your Celtics, so erratic that they can play three listless quarters, respond with an inspired fourth, and yet keep the TD Garden faithful thirsting for the comebacks of the past. Right now, they are incapable of such heroics. The Memphis Grizzlies are too good, have played together for too long, and weathered the Celtics' flurry, getting 15 points from ex-Celtic Tony Allen in a 93-83 victory Wednesday night. It was the Celtics' fourth consecutive defeat, all by double digits. Coach Doc Rivers kept the locker room closed for several minutes after the game, but he seemed more exasperated than angry. The Grizzlies shot 34.3 percent in the second half, but still outscored the Celtics, 43-42. When the Celtics slip defensively, they seemingly pay for every mistake. When they improve defensively, they can't score. 'I told them, whatever we're doing wrong, it's not going to get fixed in a day,' Rivers said. 'I thought we played in stretches where you like the effort at the beginning of the game. We played terrific defense [in the second] half but we couldn't make shots. We didn't convert on anything.' The Grizzlies labored to score in the fourth quarter after the Celtics increased their defensive intensity, but it was too late. Memphis shot 53.6 percent in the first three quarters and held a 75-59 lead. The Celtics sliced the deficit to 83-78, with a 7-0 run capped by consecutive Jason Terry 3-pointers, with 4:52 left. But after Allen countered with two free throws, Garnett had a chance to again cut it to a two-possession game with 2:56 remaining but missed both free throws. In his last six games, Garnett is shooting 41.8 percent from the field and averaging 11.6 points. With Rondo also struggling offensively, the scoring onus is being placed on Paul Pierce, who had 2 points in the second half. 'I thought we had good shots,' Garnett said. 'I've got to balance it out between being offensively minded and defensively minded. Playing against one of the best forwards in the world and that being Zach [Randolph], it's like a bear fight. I never once really balanced it out of being offensive-minded. So, I have to do a better job of that. I've got to.' When asked if he is concerned about the Celtics' 14-17 record and eight losses in the last 10 games, Garnett said, 'This is disturbing. It's part of [a season], but a loss is a loss and it hurts. Nothing is good about a loss.' Avery Bradley finished with 4 points in 20 minutes in his return from surgery on both shoulders. He played tough early defense on Mike Conley, but the Grizzlies still shot 61.1 percent in the first half, scoring 28 of their 50 points in the paint. The Grizzlies were led by Conley's 23 points and Rudy Gay's 19. Memphis outrebounded Boston, 39-27, overall, and never trailed after taking a 34-33 lead with nine minutes left in the second quarter. And when the Celtics were late on a defensive switch, the result was generally an open 3-pointer. The Grizzlies were 8 for 18 from long range, and teams are shooting 48.2 percent from beyond the arc against the Celtics in the last four games. 'Teams are making us pay,' Rondo said. 'When we play good defense, they have great ball movement and a guy gets a wide-open three and makes it. It messes your confidence up defensively, but you've still got to go back in there and keep [involved] in every other possession.' The momentum from Bradley's return and the first home game of the new year disappeared when the Celtics turned into their bumbling selves in the second quarter, allowing Memphis to go on a 15-3 run for a 44-36 lead. The Celtics did have a spark after two days off and a spirited practice on Tuesday. Paul Pierce scored 12 points in the first quarter, including three 3-pointers. But his teammates struggled to make open shots, especially Garnett, who missed six of his first seven field goal attempts, and finished 5 for 14. Bradley scored the Celtics' first basket on a backdoor layup one minute into the game. But predictably, he looked like a player who had missed seven months, running out of gas after defending the speedy Conley. 'Avery was terrific on the ball. Avery's going to help us, you could see that,' Rivers said. 'And that'll be immediate for us. When we're struggling for points and needed somebody offensively - and Avery will get that, too - you could see him struggling with his shot a little bit. But he's going to be a big help for us.' Courtesy of: http://bostonglobe.com

Indiana P. - Washington W. 89-81INDIANAPOLIS - Paul George had 29 points and 13 rebounds, D.J. Augustin (5'11''-PG-87, college: Texas) scored 18 points, and the Indiana Pacers beat the Washington Wizards 89-81 on Wednesday night. George had 10 points in the first quarter as the Central Division-leading Pacers (19-13) led by as many as 17 points against the team with the NBA's worst record. "Paul George is becoming a beast of a player," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "It was a dominant performance for him on both ends of the court." The Wizards (4-26) wouldn't go away easily. The Pacers, who shot 10 of 20 from the field in the first quarter, were just 7 of 22 in the second quarter as the Wizards battled back. "Credit to Washington for hanging in there when they were down big early," Vogel said. Jordan Crawford scored 20 points for Washington, which fell to 1-14 on the road this season. Kevin Seraphin (6'9''-C-89) scored 16, Nene added 15 points and Bradley Beal scored 14 for the Wizards, who never led in losing for the third straight game. The Pacers led 47-39 at halftime, but Washington opened the second half with a 10-4 run to pull within two. Augustin scored on a layup and a free throw to extend Indiana's lead to 54-49, but Nene answered with a turnaround hook to bring the Wizards back within a score of tying the game. The Pacers responded with six straight points to pull away for good. Augustin scored 10 points in the fourth quarter, going 8 for 8 from the free throw line. "You're happy to get a win," Vogel said. "It wasn't pretty, it wasn't a blowout. All three games we've played them this year, it's been a game in the fourth quarter." Roy Hibbert added 13 points for the Pacers, who won their sixth straight home game. Ian Mahinmi had nine points and 11 rebounds. The Pacers played again without injured point guard George Hill, although Vogel said he was "closer" to returning. "The way he put it to me, his pain was improving, but his ability to explode was not," Vogel said. Courtesy of: http://www.startribune.com

Cleveland C. - Sacramento K. 94-97Cleveland, OH -- DeMarcus Cousins (6'11''-C/F-90, agency: SportsTalent, college: Kentucky) had 18 points, 16 rebounds and six assists to lead the Sacramento Kings to a 97-94 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena on Wednesday. Cousins, who posted a triple-double on Sunday, has been superb for the Kings since returning from a two-game suspension for violating team rules, averaging 16.5 points, 12.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists per contest. Jason Thompson (6'11''-F-86, college: Rider) also recorded a double-double with 19 points and 10 boards and Francisco Garcia added 14 points for the Kings, who won on the road for just the second time this season. Kyrie Irving poured in 22 points and dished out six assists and Dion Waiters added 20 points off the bench for the Cavaliers, who have won just three of their last 17 games. The Kings held a 74-71 lead entering the fourth quarter, but the Cavs scored six straight points to go up 77-76. A 6-2 Sacramento run gave the Kings an 83-79 spread with just over seven minutes left. The teams traded blows until a personal 4-0 run from Irving put Cleveland ahead 90-89 with 1:12 remaining. John Salmons buried a triple and Aaron Brooks dropped in a layup to give the Kings a 94-90 advantage with just 18.2 ticks left. Irving responded with a jumper to cut the deficit to two points, but the Cavs were forced to foul Jimmer Fredette who knocked down a pair of free throws to put Sacramento up 96-92. Waiters cleaned up a Tyler Zeller miss on the ensuing possession to make it 96-94 with 3.2 seconds to go. Brooks was immediately fouled on the inbounds pass, but split the subsequent free throws and Irving's desperation heave from beyond midcourt rimmed out at the buzzer. Sacramento led 28-25 after the first 12 minutes, but Cleveland outscored the Kings 28-24 in the second to take a 53-52 lead into the break. Sacramento held the Cavs shot just 28 percent from the field in the third period to take a 74-71 lead into the final quarter. GAME NOTES: Sacramento outscored the Cavs 52-36 in the paint ... Brooks finished with 13 points for the Kings ... The Cavs shot a dismal 39.1 percent (34-for-87_ from the field but went 21-for-24 from the free throw line. Courtesy of: http://www.wkyc.com

Orlando M. - Chicago B. 94-96Same old story for the Orlando Magic. Grit, hustle and a big performance by one of their players just aren't enough these days. The rugged and experienced frontcourt of Carlos Boozer (6'10''-F/C-80, college: Duke), Taj Gibson and Luol Deng encountered little resistance down low and led the Chicago Bulls to a 96-94 win over the Magic on Wednesday at Amway Center. Boozer, Gibson and Deng combined to score 75 points, and the Bulls needed every one of those points to stave off a late Magic comeback. Jameer Nelson missed a leaner off the glass with 5.9 seconds remaining that would've tied the game at 94. "Nobody should hang their heads," said Nelson, who tied a career high by scoring 32 points. "It's not like we're going out there and we're not playing hard. If we were doing that as a group, I think then you can get more frustrated and that's when pointing fingers happens. One thing we're not doing is pointing the finger, and we shouldn't because we're in it together." The Magic have lost seven games in a row, their longest losing streak since they lost eight consecutive games Feb. 6-22, 2006. Five of those defeats have been by four points or less. "Anytime you lose like this, it's frustrating," said J.J. Redick, who scored seven points on 3-of-12 shooting. "You want to win some of these games." Wednesday was supposed to be the night when the front line of the Magic (12-20) matched up evenly - or at least close to evenly - against the frontcourt of the Bulls (17-13). Joakim Noah, Chicago's starting center, sat out because of flu-like symptoms. And, two days earlier, Orlando center Nik Vucevic had scored a career-high 20 points and grabbed a franchise-record 29 rebounds. But the Magic continue to miss injured power forward Glen Davis, their best one-on-one low-post defender. Boozer scored a season-high 31 points and grabbed 11 rebounds while Gibson scored 21 points and collected 11 boards. And Deng contributed 23 points. "There's no secret that Glen adds a different element to our team," Magic coach Jacque Vaughn said. "But I'm not sure how many games Glen has missed now, and it's about time for us to realize that, as a team, Glen's probably not going to play two days from now." Davis has missed seven games, and the Magic are 0-7 without him. The Magic are 1-8 when Nelson doesn't play. On Wednesday, he returned from a two-game absence due to a left hip injury and he looked refreshed. Nelson scored his 32 points on 11-of-20 shooting from the field and 4-of-4 shooting from the line. He helped the Magic recover from an 18-point deficit in the third quarter to draw within 86-84 with 5:20 left in the fourth quarter. And he was on the court when the Magic came back from 10 points down with three minutes left to cut the Bulls' lead to 94-92 with 46.3 seconds left. But Gibson blocked a 4-foot jumper by Nelson out of bounds with 11.3 seconds remaining. Orlando's play on the ensuing possession was supposed to set up a shot for Redick. But Jimmy Butler (6'7''-G/F-89, college: Marquette) closed in on Redick in the right corner, forcing Redick to pass out to Nelson. Nelson took an off-balance shot from 12 feet, and Deng corralled the rebound. "We didn't get a good shot off," Redick said. "It's no fault of Jameer's. He played an outstanding game." Now the Magic face the challenge of maintaining unity. "It's frustrating to lose, especially in close games," said Vucevic, who scored 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. "But we've got to stick together. When we were winning, everything was great, everybody was happy. Now when we're losing, we've still got to stick together and be a team." Courtesy of: http://www.orlandosentinel.com

Toronto R. - Portland TB 102-79So, Terrence Ross (6'6''-G-91, college: Washington) might have a future in the NBA eh? Ross had a team-high 26 points on 8 of 14 shooting (6 of 9 from downtown) to lead the Toronto Raptors to a 102 to 79 crushing of the Portland Trailblazers. Ross did it on O and on D, and together with Demar DeRozan (6'7''-F/G-89, college: USC) (24 points on 11 of 17 shooting), gave the Blazers' wings fits all night. Add in another impressive performance from the Raptors' two big-man jumping-jacks, Amir Johnson and Ed Davis, who had 36 points and 14 rebounds combined, and Toronto's point guards, and this one was over pretty quickly. Hell, the entire team played well from Calderon on down to Quincy Acy, who got five minutes of garbage time and registered a basket, a block, and a technical foul! Raptors MVP: Terrence Ross As has been the case of late, you could nominate several players as this again was a team effort. But Ross' three straight bombs from downtown, including a half-time buzzer-beater, seemed to break any resiliency Portland had left. After that it was all Toronto, and yet Ross kept it coming for good measure. Raptors LVP: Mickael Pietrus Pietrus was 0 for 4 in 17 minutes and didn't do much on the night. He wasn't terrible, and was in fact a plus 11 in the box score, but comparatively, he gets the nod tonight. Comment of the Night: Via defensive rap I am taking the paper bag off my head I AM A RAPTORS FAN AND I DON"T CARE WHO KNOWS IT. Best & Worst Leo/Matt Quotes Thankfully not too many to choose from although Matt Devlin did try and give credit to the Raptors for the way they handled the Jonas Valanciunas injury. Huh? Most bizarre moment: Quincy Acy checks in, misses a great pass, then on an ensuing possession, somehow picks up a technical foul. We may never know why though because with Toronto up by so many near game end, the whole incident was just kinda glossed over.That does it for this edition but we'll be back again Friday night as the Raptors take on the Sacramento Kings, looking to continue to forge ahead in what's suddenly a legit race for playoff seeding. With their win tonight Toronto is only three games back of both Boston and Philadelphia for the East's final spot in the dance. But yes, it's January 2nd, so we'll simmer down a bit. Courtesy of: http://www.thestar.com

Houston R. - N.Orleans H. 104-92HOUSTON - James Harden (6'5''-SG-89, college: Arizona St.) had 31 points and seven assists to lead the Houston Rockets to a 104-92 victory over the New Orleans Hornets on Wednesday night. When he couldn't find a rhythm from beyond the arc, Harden took to the paint, where he scored 16 of his points. Houston outscored New Orleans 60-28 in the paint. Harden has led the Rockets in scoring for 14 straight games, not including a Dec. 10 loss to San Antonio where he was sidelined with an ankle injury. Omer Asik (7'0''-C-86) had 21 points and eight rebounds, and forward Patrick Patterson scored 13 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter, adding nine rebounds in the game. Harden and Asik combined to score 18 of Houston's 25 third-quarter points as the Hornets lost for the 14th time in 16 games. Ryan Anderson (6'10''-F-88, college: California) scored 18 points off the bench, and Greivis Vasquez had the third double-double of his last four games with 15 points and 14 assists for New Orleans. Just two days after hitting a season-high 16 3-pointers in a victory over Atlanta, the Rockets went cold from beyond the arc. Houston made a season-low five 3-pointers on 24 attempts (20.8 percent.) The Rockets led 49-44 at halftime, falling short of 50 first-half points for just the second time in the last nine games. Houston entered Wednesday's game second in the league in scoring with 105.8 points per game. Anderson tied the game at 82 with a 3-pointer with less than seven minutes remaining in the game. Houston followed with a 10-2 run. Chandler Parsons finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds for Houston. New Orleans was without guard Eric Gordon, who had spent most of the season recovering from a knee injury before making his season debut last Saturday. Gordon scored 11 points on Tuesday night, but New Orleans coach Monty Williams rested him as a precaution and said he expected Gordon to return when the Hornets visit Dallas on Saturday. Rookie Austin Rivers started in place of Gordon and finished with just four points and one assist in 17 minutes. The Rockets visit Milwaukee on Friday to begin a stretch where they will play nine of their next 11 games on the road. Houston is 5-8 on the road and 13-6 at home. Notes: Houston announced Wednesday the signing of guard/forward James Anderson, who averaged 3.4 points and 1.4 rebounds in 9.4 minutes per game in 10 games this season for San Antonio. The Spurs waived Anderson on Dec. 20. To make room for Anderson, the Rockets released guard Daequan Cook. Courtesy of: http://www.huffingtonpost.com

Stephen Curry scored 25 of his 31 points in the first half and David Lee had 24 points and 13 rebounds as host Golden State handed Los Angeles its second straight defeat. Curry made six 3-point baskets and Klay Thompson connected on five as part of a 19-point effort as the Warriors won their fourth consecutive game. Jamal Crawford scored 24 points and Chris Paul added 23 for the Clippers, who had won a franchise-record 16 straight games before losing their last two outings. Golden State used a 20-1 first-quarter barrage to pull away early. Los Angeles had a 7-6 lead before the surge, which ended on a 3-pointer by Thompson to give the Warriors an 18-point lead with 4:13 left in the opening stanza. The Clippers pulled within 43-41 midway through the second quarter before Golden State answered with a 15-4 run. The Warriors led 62-49 at halftime as Los Angeles shot just 37.2 percent from the field. Golden States edge was 18 after three quarters and Los Angeles was unable to make a significant run in the final period. The lead topped out at 24 points. Harrison Barnes added 13 points and nine rebounds and Jarrett Jack tallied 11 points for the Warriors, who had a 53-38 rebounding advantage while improving to 11-4 at home. Matt Barnes added 19 points for the Clippers, who finished at 36.3 percent from the field.

Brook Lopez scored seven of his 25 points in the final 4:01 and Joe Johnson poured in a season-high 33 as Brooklyn snapped Oklahoma Citys 12-game home winning streak. Deron Williams collected 19 points and 13 assists while Kris Humphries scored 11 off the bench for the Nets, who halted a seven-game losing streak in the series. Kevin Durant scored 27 points and Russell Westbrook added 26 and 10 assists for the Thunder, who committed 20 turnovers that led to 30 points. Brooklyn dominated the first half, shooting 58.1 percent and getting 20 points from Johnson to take a 61-45 lead into the break. But the Nets came out cold in the second half, managing only two points in the first 4:56 of the third as Oklahoma City began to chip away. Westbrooks jumper cut the deficit to 76-72 heading into the final period, and Kevin Martins 3-pointer with 7:11 left knotted it at 85-85. The Thunder never managed to get over the hump, however, as Johnsons jumper put Brooklyn back on top and sparked a game-ending 25-8 run.

LeBron James had 32 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists and Dwyane Wade had 27 points and 10 rebounds as host Miami dominated overtime to defeat Dallas. Chris Bosh added 17 points and Ray Allen tallied 15 for the Heat, who outscored the Mavericks 16-6 in the extra session to beat Dallas for the fourth consecutive time. The Mavericks have lost 10 of 12 games. O.J. Mayo scored 30 points and Dirk Nowitzki tallied a season-high 19, including the tying Dallas basket to force overtime with 3.9 seconds left. Vince Carter had 15 points and nine rebounds and Chris Kaman added 14 points and 10 rebounds. The Heat led 87-83 after a basket by Bosh with eight minutes left in regulation. Dallas scored seven straight points and 14 of the next 18 and took a 97-91 lead on Mayos 3-pointer with 4:09 remaining. Miami went ahead on Shane Battiers 3-pointer with 14.5 seconds remaining before Nowitzki tied the contest. Dallas jumped out to an 11-point lead midway through the opening quarter and led most of the half. Miami caught the Mavericks at 48-48 in the final minute of the half before Dallas took a 52-50 lead into the break.

The Rockets land James Anderson - by Eurobasket News

Houston Rockets (NBA) tabbed 24-year old guard James Anderson (198-98kg-89, college: Oklahoma State). He played recently at Rio Grande Valley Vipers. Anderson was called during the season by the San Antonio Spurs. In 9 NBA games this season he averaged 3.8ppg, 1.6rpg and 1.0apg. Last year James Anderson tallied 3.6 points per game for the Spurs. The previous (10-11) season he played at Austin Toros. In 7 D-League games that season he had 14.7ppg, 4.9rpg, 2.0apg and 1.0spg.Three years ago Anderson was drafted by San Antonio Spurs in first round (20th overall). The former Oklahoma State star is in his third season in pro basketball.Among other achievements Anderson won NBA Southwest Division championship title for two years in a row (2011 and 2012). He received also All-Big 12 Player of the Year award, USBasket.com All-NCAA D1 1st Team award and NABC Division I All-District 8 1st Team award back in 2010 at his college time. Anderson represented USA at the World University Games in Belgrade (Serbia) four years ago. His team won Bronze and his stats at that event were 7 games: 7.1ppg, 2.4rpg, 1.0apg, FGP: 60.0%, 3PT: 25.0%, FT: 53.3%.

By Eurobasket Data Center

The Rockets waive Cook - by Eurobasket News

Houston Rockets (NBA) waived 26-year old guard Daequan Cook (196-95kg-87, college: Ohio State). In 16 NBA games he played this season he recorded 3.4ppg and 1.1rpg. The last season Cook played at the Thunder. In 73 NBA games last year he averaged 4.8ppg and 1.8rpg.In 2007 he was drafted by Philadelphia 76ers in first round (21st overall). The former Ohio State standout is in his sixth season in pro basketball. He was voted All-Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year back in 2007 at his college time.Cook has played previously professionally in other NBA team (Miami Heat) and D-League (Iowa Energy).

By Eurobasket Data Center (via @nbatransactions)

Larry Drew, Vinny Del Negro named NBA Coaches of the Month for December - by Eurobasket News

Atlanta Hawks coach Larry Drew and Los Angeles Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro today were named the NBA Eastern and Western Conference Coaches of the Month, respectively, for games played in December.Drew led the Hawks to a 10-5 (.667) month, including a 4-3 record on the road. Atlanta notched victories over the Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies and Chicago Bulls during December, a month in which the Hawks shot .456 from the field as a team and .384 from three-point range. For the first time in team history, the Hawks connected on 10-or-more three-pointers in four consecutive games (Dec. 22-29).Del Negro led the Clippers to a perfect 16-0 record in December, including wins over the Boston Celtics and three wins over the Utah Jazz. The Clippers franchise-best 17-game winning streak, which included the sixteen December wins, ended with their first game in January. The streak stands as the longest in the NBA since the 2008 season when Boston won 19 consecutive games.Other nominees for Coach of the Month were Golden States Mark Jackson , Indianas Frank Vogel, Miamis Erik Spoelstra , New Yorks Mike Woodson , Oklahoma Citys Scott Brooks and Portlands Terry Stotts .Courtesy of: insidehoops.com

James, Paul honored as NBA Players of the Month - by Eurobasket News

Superstars LeBron James (6'8''-SF-84) of the Miami Heat and Chris Paul (6'0''-PG-85, college: Wake Forest) of the Los Angeles Clippers have been named the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month, respectively, for December.James, who won this award last month as well, ranked second in the conference in scoring at 27.5 points per game and fourth in field goal percentage (.555) while helping his team to an 10-5 record. He also recorded a triple-double in a loss to the Wizards on Dec. 4.Paul's Clippers went undefeated (16-0) during the month, thanks in part to their point guard averaging 16.0 points and a conference-high 9.3 assists per game. Paul also led the league with 2.6 steals per outing and totaled seven double-doubles.Other nominees for the awards were Atlanta's Al Horford and Josh Smith; Houston's James Harden, Golden State's David Lee, the Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant, Memphis' Zach Randolph, New York's Carmelo Anthony, Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant, Portland's LaMarcus Aldridge, and San Antonio's Tony Parker.Courtesy of: thenewstribune.com

Jazz's Mo Williams out six weeks for thumb surgery - by Eurobasket News

Utah Jazz point guard Mo Williams (6'1''-PG-82, agency: Priority Sports, college: Alabama) is expected to miss six weeks following surgery on his right thumb. Williams opted for surgery after flying to New York to have a second MRI and meet Wednesday with Dr. Michelle Carlson, a hand specialist. The decision to have surgery was made following a consultation between Carlson and the Jazz medical staff. After surgery, Williams' thumb will be placed in a splint for six weeks and he will be re-evaluated afterward. Williams is in his 10th season and second stint with the Jazz. He has appeared in 24 games this season and was averaging 12.9 points, 6.7 assists and 2.0 rebounds. He injured the thumb Dec. 22 at Miami and has not played since. Jamaal Tinsley started at point guard Wednesday against Minnesota. Courtesy of: usatoday.com

Lillard, Beal Named Rookies of the Month for December - by Eurobasket News

The Washington Wizards Bradley Beal (6'3''-SG-93, agency: Priority Sports, college: Florida) and the Portland Trail Blazers Damian Lillard (6'2''-PG-90, college: Weber St.) have been named the NBA Eastern and Western Conference Rookies of the Month.Beal lead all Eastern Conference rookies in scoring (13.4 ppg) and total assists with (41) in December. He had six games with 15-plus points during the month and made a career-high eight field goals in a 100-95 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Dec. 18. Lillard led all rookies in scoring (18.4 ppg), assists (6.3 apg) and is tied for third among NBA point guards with 16 games of 20-plus points. On Dec. 13 against the San Antonio Spurs he became one of just 12 NBA players to record at least 29 points, seven rebounds and six assists in a game this season. Courtesy of: basketball.realgm.com

The Halifax Rainmen (10-10) have announced the signing of veteran guard Cedric Moodie (6'2''-G-78, college: Indianapolis), pending clearance. To make room for Moodie the team announced that they have released Josiah Turner (6'3''-G-92, college: Arizona).Cedric Moodie, 34, joins Halifax after having played in three leagues in the 2011-12 season. In December 2011 he joined the Quebec Kebs where he played 22 games and averaged 12.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists while shooting 43.1% from the field and 36.0% from three. From there he moved on to Argentina where he appeared in seven games for Quilmes Mar del Plata in March of 2012. He concluded his 2012 season with Universidad Tecnologica Equinoc. Quito of Ecuador.A product of Indianapolis University (2001-02) via Ball State (1999-2001), Moodie has played extensively in US minor leagues as well as Central and South American countries during his 11-year career.Josiah Turner is a 6-3 guard out of the University of Arizona who is in his first professional season. He joined Halifax in November and averaged 9.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.5 steals in 15 games.

The Montreal Jazz, 0-17 on the season, have signed guard Courtland Bluford (6'2''-G-88, college: Assumption). Looking for any help they can, the Jazz have signed Bluford who was in training camp with the Halifax Rainmen to support their backcourt production. The 6-2 Bluford spent last season with the Saint John Mill Rats where in 17 games he averaged 8.6 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists while shooting 49.4% from the field and 29.4% from three. A three-year veteran, Bluford attended Assumption (NCAA2) from 2006-2010 and was drafted 15th overall in this years NBL Draft by Halifax.

Ryan Kelly scored 18 points and the top-ranked Blue Devils started the second half with a 12-0 run en route to a non-conference win over the Wildcats at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, N.C. After a first half which saw neither team lead by more than five, Duke (13-0) broke away from the 29-29 halftime deadlock by scoring the first 12 points of the second half to take a 41-29 lead with 14:20 remaining. Kelly scored five in the pivotal run after scoring the Blue Devils' last eight points of the first half. Quinn Cook tallied 15 for Duke while Mason Plumlee added 10 points and seven rebounds. Tyler Thornton came off the bench to chip in 10 as the Blue Devils knocked off Davidson (7-6) for the 24th straight time. Jake Cohen paced the Wildcats with a game-high 19 points and De'Mon Brooks added eight and a game-high 12 rebounds as Davidson could not recover after being held scoreless the first 6:07 of the second half. The closest the Wildcats would get was eight the rest of the way. The 67 points matched a season-low for Duke.

Brandon Triche drained five 3-pointers and finished with a season-high 25 points as the host Orange gave coach Jim Boeheim his 903rd career victory to move him past Bob Knight into sole possession of second place on the all-time wins list. C.J. Fair poured in 15 points and Michael Carter-Williams added 12 points and 10 assists the ninth double-digit effort for the nations assist leader this season for Syracuse (13-1, 1-0 Big East), which defeated the Scarlet Knights for the 13th straight time. Eli Carter also hit five 3-pointers and finished with 19 points while sophomore Kadeem Jack pulled down a career-high 13 rebounds for Rutgers (9-3, 0-1). The Scarlet Knights took their last lead at 20-18 on a jumper by Carter with 8:06 left before intermission, but they missed their final 12 shots of the half while Fair scored six of the Oranges 21 consecutive points to send Syracuse into the break with a 39-20 advantage. The Orange stretched the lead to as many as 29 points in the second half, extending the longest home winning streak in the country to 33 games.

Jahii Carson sent the game into overtime with a 3-pointer and later hit a short jumper with 35 seconds left to play in the extra session to lift the host Sun Devils to victory in the Pac-12 Conference opener for both teams. Carrick Felix led Arizona State (12-2) with 17 points, including 10 straight for the Sun Devils in the first half when they erased a six-point deficit. Carson scored 15 points and Jordan Bachynski added 14 for Arizona State, which has won four straight. Arizona State tied the game at 49 on Carson's 3-pointer with 42 seconds left. Carson later missed another 3-pointer with four seconds to play in regulation. Utah took a 54-53 lead in the extra session on a 3-pointer by Jarred DuBois but the Utes (8-5) never scored again despite taking the final four shots of the game. Jason Washburn led Utah with 19 points and 18 rebounds but the senior center missed a short jumper in traffic with two seconds to play in overtime. DuBois finished with 12 points. Felix, who has scored in double figures in 13 straight games, added 13 rebounds for Arizona State, which finished 10th in the Pac-12 last season with a 6-12 conference mark.

PC Cruises Past Montreat, 77-35 - by Eurobasket News

Joshua Clyburn (6'8''-F-92) went eight-of-11, while William Truss (6'7''-C) was a perfect seven-of-seven from the field, leading the Presbyterian College men's basketball team to the 77-35 win over Montreat in action tonight at the Templeton Center in Clinton, S.C.

PC snaps a four-game skid to improve to 3-11 overall, while Montreat falls to 3-8.

Clyburn and Truss both led the team in scoring with 16 apiece, while Khalid Mutakabbir followed with 11 on the night. Truss paced the team in rebounds as well, with nine. Brandon Dockery led the Cavaliers with eight points, followed by Charles Smith-Perry and Erich Allen with six each. Ian McVay's seven rebounds was tops for Montreat.

The Blue Hose shot 57.9% from the field, while included a 17-of-28 effort in the second half. Montreat was held to just 26.9% from the field and only 19.0% in the first half as PC took the lead at intermission, 37-13.

PC held the 40-28 advantage in rebounds and had five less turnovers, 10-15. The size difference proved to be a hug advantage for the Blue Hose as the scored 20 more points in the paint, 28-18.

Leading by just two, 6-4, with 15:23 on the clock, the Blue Hose scored six unanswered to go up by eight, 12-4, with 13:23 on the clock. Montreat would get no closer than six the remainder of the half as PC outscored the Cavaliers 25-9 down the stretch, which included two three-pointers by Jordan Downing, one by Mutakabbir and eight points by Clyburn.

The Cavaliers were held scoreless the final 6:06 of the first half to head into the locker room trailing 37-13.

Montreat's offensive woes continued in the second half as the Blue Hose opened with a 17-4 run to build a 54-17 lead with 13 minutes remaining. Highlighting the run were three-pointers by Mutakabbir and Mac Lake, as well as a stretch of six straight points by Truss.

The Cavaliers used a 9-2 run to cut the margin to 30 at the 10:01 mark, but only scored nine points the remainder of the game to fall by the final 77-35 score.

PC opens Big South play Saturday, Jan. 5 with a 7 p.m. game against VMI at the Templeton Center.Courtesy of: http://www.gobluehose.com

Hoosiers Clip Iowa in B1G Opener - by Eurobasket News

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- It was a game there for the taking, but in the end fifth-ranked Indiana made the plays down the stretch to hand the University of Iowa men's basketball team a 69-65 loss on Mediacom Court inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. "I was impressed with our fight," said UI head coach Fran McCaffery . "We have got great character on our team. We fought hard, we hung in, but we have to understand the anatomy of the game."

After falling behind 56-48 with 10:04 remaining, the Hawkeyes scored five straight points to trim the deficit to 56-53. Junior Zach McCabe (6'7''-F-91) made two free throws before sophomore Josh Oglesby's 3-pointer trimmed the margin to three.

A jumper by McCabe at the 6:13 mark made the score 57-56, but Iowa couldn't get over the hump despite the best efforts from the sold out crowd of 15,400 in attendance. The Hawkeyes committed turnovers in three critical possessions, which added up in the end.

"Ultimately, when you're in a game of this caliber where it is a one or two possession game, it's those kind of things that add up," said McCaffery. "You can survive a bad shooting day, if you rebound well, execute and don't turn it over."

Indiana junior Will Sheehey's jumper opened a 6-0 Hoosier spurt to push the advantage to 63-56 with 3:05 to play. Junior Roy Devyn Marble kept Iowa within striking distance by converting at the free throw stripe. He scored six straight down the stretch, pulling Iowa to within three (65-62) with 46 seconds remaining.

The Iowa defense then forced a turnover with its full court press, but McCabe's 3-point attempt with 30 seconds left from the top of the key was off the mark, which allowed the Hoosiers to escape Iowa City with the narrow four-point victory.

"There are a bunch of little plays when you look on film, you'll be like 'ehhh', you'll cringe when you watch them," said sophomore Aaron White, who paced the Hawkeyes with 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting. "That's what's special about basketball; it's a bunch of little plays that equal into a big collective effort from the group. We didn't make some of the little plays."

Along with White, two other Hawkeyes landed in double digits. Marble scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds, making 12-of-13 free throw attempts. The junior was 1-of-14 from the floor in the game. Gesell finished with 13 points on 6-of-12 shooting.

Iowa shot 33.3 percent (21-of-63) for the game and made 3-of-17 attempts from 3-point range. Indiana made 26-of-65 attempts (40 percent) and was 4-of-14 (28.6 percent) from long range. The Hoosiers won the battle on the boards, 46-39.

Sophomore center Cody Zeller led a group of four Indiana players in double digits, finishing with 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting to go along with 10 rebounds. Guard Victor Oladipo also posted a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

"We kept saying, 'If we get a win there, it will be a big deal because not many people are coming in here and winning," said IU head coach Tom Crean. "This was truly one of those 15 round heavyweight fight games that the Big Ten is full of. You can't necessarily land the knockout punch, but you want to make sure it doesn't get landed on you."

Indiana jumped out to an 11-6 lead over the first six minutes before Iowa used a 10-0 run to take a 16-11 advantage at the 9:52 mark. Gesell opened the run with a layup before junior Melsahn Basabe's jumper made the score 11-10. White followed with six straight -- on a 3-pointer and three-point play -- to give Iowa the five point advantage.

The Hoosiers regained the lead with an 18-4 spurt that saw Indiana build a nine-point advantage. After scoring the first 12 points on point-blank looks, Sheehey and Christian Watford pushed the margin to 29-20 with consecutive 3-pointers with 3:11 remaining in the half.

Iowa trimmed the deficit to 29-25 with 1:57 to go in the half, but Yogi Ferrell made the final two field goals to send the Hoosiers into the locker room with a 33-25 advantage. The Hawkeyes shot 23.5 percent (8-of-34) over the opening 20 minutes, while the Hoosiers were 14-of-36 (38.9 percent).

"It was an exciting atmosphere to be in as an opponent," said Crean. "I hope the fans continue to pour out like that all year long for them because that team deserves it because they're going to be really good."

The Hawkeyes return to action Jan. 6 at No. 2 Michigan. Game time is set for 11 a.m. (CT).Courtesy of: http://www.hawkeyesports.com

Manhattan Upended by Stony Brook - by Eurobasket News

RIVERDALE, N.Y. - Manhattan dropped its first contest of 2013 as the Jaspers fell to Stony Brook (9-4) 50-44 Tuesday at Draddy Gymnasium. Junior forward Rhamel Brown (6'7''-F/C-92) led Manhattan (3-9) with 15 points in the squad's first home loss this season. Jameel Warney (6'8''-F-94), Anthony Mayo and Scott King (6'9''-F-92) each scored eight points to pace Stony Brook.

Despite delivering one of its top defensive efforts this season, Manhattan did not have the offensive firepower to get past the Seawolves as they improved to 6-2 on the road. Both teams had their lowest scoring output of the season and shot below 35% from the field. Jaspers' senior guard Mohamed Koita was the only other player to post double-digits as he matched a career-high with 11 points.

Mayo and King anchored the offensive production of the Stony Brook bench that outscored the Jaspers' reserves 23-9. The duo shot 5-for-7 (71.4%) from the field, and King buried a pair of three-pointers.

There were only 10 points scored by both teams 10 minutes into the ballgame. Six minutes went by without a field goal in the first half. Neither team could open more than a five point lead as Stony Brook carried a 21-19 advantage into the break.

Manhattan rallied behind Koita in the early minutes of the second half. The Jaspers built a six point advantage, their largest lead of the contest. Manhattan scored 11 straight points with Koita's third three-pointer of the game coming at 13:56 to send the Jaspers out front 33-27.

Stony Brook countered with a 9-2 run to regain a one point lead with 4:15 remaining on a free-throw by junior guard Anthony Jackson. Jaspers' freshman forward Shane Richards answered with a key three the next trip down floor putting Manhattan up 40-38, before the Seawolves took the lead for good. Stony Brook got a three-pointer from Jackson, which was the beginning of seven straight points by the Seawolves.

The Jaspers struggled without injured senior guard George Beamon (16.8 ppg). Manhattan starting point guard Michael Alvarado (9.2 ppg) was sidelined for the majority of the ballgame after going down with an ankle injury on a fast break in the first half.

Manhattan missed 12 of 20 attempts at the free-throw line and shot 6-for-18 (33.3%) from beyond the arc. Stony Brook was only 3-for-15 (20.0%) from three-point territory, but connected on 15-of-22 (68.2%) free-throws.

Stony Brook improved to 4-0 against Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) opponents this season. The Seawolves have won four of their last six games.

Manhattan returns to MAAC action on Friday when it travels to Saint Peter's. The Jaspers enter the contest 1-1 in conference play. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at the Yanitelli Center in Jersey City, N.J.Courtesy of: http://www.gojaspers.com

Clemson Offense Comes to Life in 92-51 Victory over The Citadel - by Eurobasket News

CLEMSON, SC - Clemson produced season-best offensive numbers in terms of shooting percentage and points in a 92-51 rout of The Citadel on Tuesday, the Tigers' final non-conference game prior to the start of ACC play. The win improved Clemson to 8-4, while dropping The Citadel to 3-8 on the season. Adonis Filer scored a season-high 21 points, the most for a Tiger freshman since Terrence Oglesby had 21 against Puerto Rico-Mayaguez in 2007-08. Filer did not miss in seven field goal tries and was 3-4 from the line. He made all four of his three-point attempts, also a season-best. Jordan Roper (5'11''-PG), another freshman guard, added 13, while Damarcus Harrison (6'4''-G-92) chipped in 10.

The Tigers' 92 points were the most by the program since the 2009-10 season, when Oliver Purnell's final team posted 94 against College of Charleston. Clemson shot 61 percent and made 35 field goals, a high in 77 games under Head Coach Brad Brownell. Defensively, the Tigers had 16 steals - also a high under Brownell. Point guard Rod Hall had four of the steals. Ten of Clemson's 11 active players scored Tuesday.

Clemson jumped out to an 8-3 lead, but The Citadel closed to within a point after Matt Van Scyoc scored on a transition bucket. The Bulldogs actually took the lead at 9-8 on a pair of free throws, but the Tigers responded with a 16-6 run that included seven points from Filer. The Tiger lead stretched to 12 at 30-18 on a corner three by Milton Jennings. He then found a cutting Rod Hall for a layup to push the advantage to 14.

Clemson's run reached 13-0 after Jordan Roper converted a layup behind a screen from Devin Booker. Filer hit his second trifecta on the next possession to make it 39-18. The lead reached 24 on yet another Filer three-pointer with two minutes left in the half. Clemson took a 47-27 lead into the halftime break.

A modest 9-7 run coming out of the break ended on a layup inside by Devin Booker, who hit the floor hard after tangling with Bulldog center Mike Groselle. Booker had eight points and four rebounds, despite playing on a sore ankle. He left the game and did not return after 17 minutes of play, but is expected to be okay.

Clemson used a working margin throughout the second half. With Clemson up 60-40, the Tigers put together an 8-2 run that included dunks from Filer and K.J. McDaniels to push the lead to 26 points. Filer hit his fourth three of the game moments later to give Clemson a 75-47 lead. McDaniels provided a late highlight with a block on one end followed by an alley-oop on the other to bring the home crowd to its feet as the Tigers built a 35-point lead with just over four to play.

Groselle led The Citadel with 13 points and was 6-of-7 from the field. He did have five of the Bulldogs' 25 turnovers. The Citadel shot 50 percent, but was outscored 44-13 in points off turnovers.

The Tigers stay at home to open the regular season portion of the ACC schedule on Saturday, Jan. 5. Clemson will play host to Florida State at 4:00 PM at Littlejohn Coliseum.Courtesy of: http://www.clemsontigers.com

Inside Game Lifts Butler Past Penn - by Eurobasket News

INDIANAPOLIS, IND. -- On a night when Butler's perimeter attack matched the icy temperatures outside, the Bulldogs looked inside to pull out a 70-57 victory over visiting Penn. The win on Wednesday (Jan. 2) was the Bulldogs' eighth straight.

The Bulldogs struggled to find the range from beyond the three-point arc against Penn. But sophomore Roosevelt Jones (6'4''-F) and junior Khyle Marshall (6'6''-F-92) ignited a hot inside game and that effort carried the No. 17-ranked Bulldogs (11-2) past a determined Penn squad.

"We won the game because of power, the interior guys, Roosevelt (Jones) and Khyle (Marshall) in particular and certainly Andrew (Smith) as well." said Butler head coach Brad Stevens . "Our guards didn't produce the way they normally do, but I thought our guys three through five played pretty well and carried us tonight."

Jones led the way from the start. He hit 10 of 15 shots from the floor and finished with a career-high 24 points and six rebounds. The 6-4 forward carried the Bulldogs in the first half with 15 points, just two shy of his previous career-high. He added nine more in the second half, despite being plagued by foul problems.

Marshall picked up the slack in the second half, scoring ten of his 14 points after intermission. He hit seven of 10 shots in the game, including five of six in the final 20 minutes, and added five rebounds.

The inside approach offset a four for 19 shooting performance from beyond the three-point arc by the Bulldogs. Butler leading scorer Rotnei Clarke, who entered the game ranked 13th in the NCAA Division I in three-point field goal shooting, hit just one of nine three-point attempts and finished with six points against the Quakers.

Penn (2-10), aided by a strong perimeter attack, kept things close throughout. The Quakers trailed by just six points, 35-29, at halftime and by just two points, 42-40, with under 14 minutes remaining. But Marshall helped ignite a 10-2 Butler run that carried the Bulldogs to their first double-figures lead in the contest.

Smith started the run with a free throw and Marshall followed with a dunk off a pass from sophomore Jackson Aldridge and a short jumper to give Butler a seven-point lead. Penn answered with a basket by Jamal Lewis, before freshman Kellen Dunham hit a three-point field goal and Marshall added a jumper to make it 52-42.

The Quakers didn't fold, battling back to 52-49, before a 10-0 Butler run gave the Bulldogs some breathing room with five minutes remaining. Jones had six of the ten points, while Dunham and Smith each added a pair of free throws.

Butler finished with a commanding 36-21 rebounding advantage, including 13 offensive rebounds. The Bulldogs out-scored their Ivy League opponent, 18-4, on second chance points. Sophomore Kameron Woods came off the bench to lead all players in rebounds with eight.

Miles Cartwright led Penn with 15 points, including three of four shots from beyond the three-point arc, while Tony Hicks added 10 points.

Dunham finished with 10 points for the Bulldogs, his fifth double-figures scoring performance in the past six games.

Butler will wrap up its brief two-game homestand with a 2 p.m. (ET) contest against New Orleans on Saturday, Jan. 5. The Bulldogs will begin Atlantic 10 Conference play on Wednesday, Jan. 9, at preseason conference favorite Saint Joseph's.Courtesy of: http://www.butlersports.com

Fraser Leads Men's Basketball to 63-58 Win Over Boston University in America East Opener - by Eurobasket News

ORONO, Maine A late 7-to-1 run featuring a pair of baskets by Alasdair Fraser (6'7''-F-92) (Falkirk, Scotland) propelled the University of Maine men's basketball team to a 63-58 win over Boston University on Wednesday night at Alfond Arena. The Black Bears' third-straight win improves them to 6-8 overall and 1-0 in America East Conference play while Boston University falls to 6-8 and 0-1 in league play.

With the Black Bears down 53-55 with just over three minutes remaining, Fraser converted a jumper and on the ensuing Terrier possession Fraser stole the ball. He found Xavier Pollard (Bronx, N.Y.) for a layup giving the Black Bears the lead.

The Terriers missed a three-pointer and Fraser grabbed the rebound. He converted a layup on the other end to extend the Maine lead to four. The teams each exchanged a free throw, and Maurice Watson (5'10''-PG-93), Jr. cut the lead to two for BU.

However, Fraser once again responded by converting a pair of free throws moments later to seal the win for Maine.

The first half saw the Terriers take a 24-17 lead with 7:40 remaining, but Maine went on a 9-to-2 run to close out the half courtesy of four points from Justin Edwards (Whitby, Ontario) and the teams were tied at 26 at half.

Pollard led Maine with eight points and three rebounds in the first half while Fraser added six points, three rebounds and two blocks.

Boston University opened the second half on a 12-to-3 run taking a 38-29 lead with 15:47 left and clung to a 53-47 lead with 5:42 left. However following a D.J. Irving jumper with 3:59 remaining, the Terriers could not convert another field goal until 31 seconds left and Fraser's free throws sealed the win.

Fraser was Maine's America East Player of the Game as he finished with 17 points, six rebounds, three blocks and three steals while Watson, Jr. garnered the Terriers' Player of the Game honor with 13 points and seven assists.

Pollard finished with 13 points, four rebounds and three assists while Edwards added 10 points and five assists.

Maine held a commanding 35-26 edge rebounding while shooting 47.1 percent from the field and holding Boston University to 44.4 percent.

Maine continues play on Saturday as the Black Bears host UMBC at 12 p.m.Courtesy of: http://www.goblackbears.com

Johnson Leads Purdue Past No. 11 Illinois, 68-61 - by Eurobasket News

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) - Illinois coach John Groce watched his team make big plays during the first half of the season.

On Wednesday night, they vanished.

The 11th-ranked Fighting Illini couldn't stop Terone Johnson (6'2''-G-91) inside, couldn't get in front of D.J. Byrd (6'5''-G/F-90) when he knocked down three 3-pointers during a key second-half run and couldn't keep Byrd away from a rebound off an errant free throw with 21 seconds left in the game.

So it was no surprise to Groce that Purdue hung on for a 68-61 victory.

The Illini (13-2, 0-1) were a miserable 35.9 percent from the field and just 38.5 percent from 3-point range despite opening the game by making 6 of 10 from the field and 5 of 7 from beyond the arc.

Brandon Paul, who has scored in double figures in all 15 games this season, needed consecutive 3s in the final 2 1/2 minutes to do it against the Boilermakers. He finished with 15 points, four 3-pointers, three rebounds and three assists. He was followed by Joseph Bertrand with 14 points and seven rebounds and Tracy Abrams with 12 points.

Illinois has lost two of its last three, eight straight to Purdue and eight consecutive Big Ten road games dating to last year's win at Northwestern.

That's not good enough for Groce.

"Part of it is the little things matter," he said. "I told them the other day that if the little things didn't matter, then they should go ask the guy in bed with a mosquito."

Purdue coach Matt Painter came into the game with his own questions, but his players finally figured out what he wanted.

Toughness. Defense. Big plays.

The Boilermakers did it all Wednesday night and pulled off their biggest win of the season with their most complete effort so far.

"It means a lot," Johnson said after scoring a career-high 25 points. "It's kind of like coach said in the locker room, 'We just went out there and did it, so why couldn't we have been doing it before?"'

Purdue came into the conference opener with the worst record in the league and a grueling opening run that had them starting with Illinois at home, at No. 18 Michigan State and home against No. 8 Ohio State in the first week of conference play.

So the Boilermakers won this one with their trademark grit.

The 6-foot-2 Johnson played big in the paint, making 9 of 18 shots, grabbing nine rebounds and finishing with four assists.

Byrd, who struggled for most of the first 30 minutes made three of his four 3-pointers during a key 16-3 second-half run that flipped the game. He grabbed the rebound off an errant free throw, called time out with 21 seconds left from his knees before falling out of bounds. He grabbed the inbounds pass and completed a three-point play to make it a two-possession game.

Byrd finished with 15 points, two assists and a beaming smile across his face after a third straight victory.

"Terone hit me on the wing and it was in rhythm so I just caught it and shot it. The next one I caught it and shot it, and then I kind of got lucky on that one dropped in," Byrd said. "You've just got to keep shooting it like the next one's going in."

Purdue needed everything to hang on, though.

Illinois looked like it might end all of its misery when it opened the game 6 of 10 from the field and 5 of 7 from 3-point range. But the Illini only led 33-31 at halftime and just 45-39 with 12:03 to play.

That's when the Boilermakers cranked things up.

After Johnson scored on a putback, Byrd knocked down a 3 to make it 45-44. Freshman center A.J. Hammons followed that with a short hook shot to give Purdue the lead and then Byrd made the back-to-back 3s. When Johnson drove in for a layup Purdue led 55-48 with 6:36 to play.

Illinois came back, closing to 61-58 on Paul's 3 with 1:45 to go and getting within 63-61 after Richardson made his only 3 of the game with 28.4 seconds left.

The Illini still had a chance when Jacob Lawson missed two free throws, but Byrd snagged the rebound, called the timeout and converted the three-point play.

"Those are the types of plays we need from him," Painter said. "It's unfortunate we had the struggles we've had, but we just have to have some consistency. Hopefully, we can build off of this. We'll see."Courtesy of: http://www.purduesports.com

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)- Deshaun Thomas (6'7''-F-91) outscored Nebraska in the first half 18-17 and finished with 22 points to lead No. 8 Ohio State past the Cornhuskers 70-44 on Wednesday night in the Big Ten opener for both teams.

Lenzelle Smith Jr. (6'4''-G) Jr. added 17 points for Ohio State (11-2, 1-0), which won its 15th consecutive Big Ten home opener. The Buckeyes have a tough test on Saturday at No. 11 Illinois.

The Buckeyes led by at least 20 points for almost all of the second half.

How bad was it for the Cornhuskers (9-5, 0-1)? Only 8:27 remained when they finally exceeded the 31 points that their football counterparts scored in a 14-point loss to Georgia in the Capital One Bowl a day earlier.

Ray Gallegos (6'2''-G-90) had 14 points to lead Nebraska, which shot 29 percent from the field.

Thomas' big half spelled doom for the Cornhuskers, who came in 6-1 when holding opponents to 60 or fewer points - and 3-3 when they did not.

Nebraska, last in the Big Ten in scoring (61.7 points per game), never had the firepower to get back in the game.

Not much went right for the Cornhuskers from the very start.

Big man Andre Almeida, who stands 6-foot-11 and weighs well over 300 pounds, went down with a right ankle injury midway through the first half. He was helped to the locker room and did not return.

But things had spiraled out of control long before he left.

Nebraska had difficulty getting anything going on offense, particularly struggling to get points inside. When they drove to the hoop, Aaron Craft was there to pester the ballhandler into a turnover. If they got past him, Ohio State centers Amir Williams and Evan Ravenel stood in the way and blocked or altered shots.

At the other end, Thomas scored five points early and then scored seven of the last nine as the Buckeyes ended the half on a 9-0 run.

The last time Nebraska beat a top 10 team on the road was Feb. 22, 1997, a 74-69 victory over No. 7 Iowa State. The Cornhuskers have lost their last 24 games away from home against teams in the top 10.

Thomas had one more field goal than Nebraska did - in 15 fewer attempts in the opening half.

He hit 8 of 12 shots from the field including half of his four 3-point attempts. The rest of the Buckeyes were just 7 of 21 (33 percent).

In their losses to Duke and Kansas, the Buckeyes shot .323 (43 of 133) from the field while hitting 49.4 percent (287 of 581) in its wins.

Ohio State scored the first five points of the second half to swell its run to 14-0 and its lead to 41-17. The lead never dropped below 20 again.

Craft was scoreless but finished with eight assists and four steals to disrupt Nebraska's offense.

The biggest roar of the night - while fans were filing to the exits - came when Sam Thompson one-handed a dunk off an alley-oop pass from Shannon Scott with 3 minutes remaining. By then, most of the damage had already been done.

Adding to the Cornhuskers' woes, they must play three of their first four Big Ten games against ranked teams on the road.Courtesy of: http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com

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NCAA2

WSU Athletics Announces 2013 Hall of Fame Class - by Eurobasket News

Six former Wayne State student-athletes, including one who also served the University as a coach have been selected for induction into the Wayne State University Athletic Hall of Fame.

"Some of our most elite and successful programs are represented in this Hall of Fame class," stated WSU Director of Athletics Rob Fournier. "part of that success can be attributed to this group and their contributions to that rich history is deserving of this singular recognition in our Hall of Fame."

The class of 2013 includes men's basketball player Mike Aaron, swimmer Bruno Blanco, softball player Shannon (Clark) Maisano, fencer Anna Garina, football player Steve Lee and football student-athlete and head coach Brian VanGorder.

The WSU Athletic Hall of Fame membership will increase to 215 with the inductions this February.

The official induction ceremony will take place on Saturday, Feb. 16 at Historic St. Andrews on the WSU campus. The reception begins at 11:30 a.m. with lunch served at noon and the program starting shortly thereafter.

Tickets for the luncheon can be purchased at the Matthaei Complex for $35 and advance reservations are required. The public is invited to attend.

Please click here to make a reservation.

In addition, the class will be introduced during the Feb. 16 basketball games vs. Northern Michigan. Courtesy of: http://wsuathletics.com

Shelby moves into eighth place on WSC all-time scoring list in Wildcats' 72-52 win over Grace University - by Eurobasket News

Senior guard Amry Shelby moved into eighth place on the all-time scoring list at Wayne State College by scoring a team-high 14 points as Wayne State College resumed play from the holiday break with a 72-52 non-conference men's basketball win over Grace University Monday afternoon at Rice Auditorium in Wayne. The Wildcats are now 7-4 with the win while the visiting Royals drop to 6-10 on the season. Both teams struggled early in the game coming off the holiday break. After Grace scored the first two points of the game on a pair of Hakeem Stewart free throws, WSC reeled off 13 straight points and took a 13-2 lead at the 11:10 mark on a jumper by Shelby. Grace got as close as nine points at 19-10 with 4:30 to go in the half on a JJ Hartung 3-pointer, but WSC closed the half strong and took a 28-15 lead at intermission. The Wildcats opened the second half by scoring the first nine points and took a 37-15 lead on a Ryan Rolfzen layup at the 18:16 mark. WSC took their biggest lead of the game at 27 points, 62-35 with 6:25 remaining, on a Ayron Worthington three point play and the Wildcats emptied the bench and played reserves the rest of the way in sealing the 72-52 win. Shelby led WSC with 14 points and went from 11th to eighth on the WSC all-time scoring list. The Marion, Iowa native now has 1,369 points and passed Dean Elofson (1,358 points from 1966-70), Todd Klostermann (1,365 points from 2000-05) and Craig Philipp (1,368 points from 1994-98) to move into the top 10 all-time in Wildcat scoring. Senior forward Derrell Williams also reached double figures for WSC with 12 points. The Wildcats finished the game making 29 of 54 shots for 53.7 percent, making 5 of 15 three pointers and 9 of 13 at the charity stripe. Hakeem Stewart scored a game-high 25 points to lead Grace University while Spencer Plank also reached double figures with 11. The Royals were 15 of 38 from the field for 39.5 percent, making 7 of 15 three pointers along with 15 for 21 at the charity stripe. WSC held a 30-25 edge in rebounding over Grace as Patrick Kurth grabbed a game-high eight rebounds for the Wildcats while Levi Entz had seven rebounds to lead Grace. The Wildcats had just 10 turnovers in the game to 18 for Grace. Wayne State resumes Northern Sun Conference play on Friday hosting Concordia-St. Paul in an 8 p.m. contest followed by a Saturday evening 6 p.m. game vs. #21 Minnesota State. Courtesy of: http://www.wscwildcats.com

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NCAA3

MIT Holds Off La Verne, 77-74 - by Eurobasket News

LA VERNE, Calif. Playing in his home state of California, sophomore Matt Redfield (Los Altos, Calif.) recorded his first career double-double with career bests of 19 points and 15 rebounds, and the Engineers held off a late rally by La Verne University as they took a 77-74 non-conference men's basketball win. Senior Will Tashman (6'8''-F) (Atherton, Calif.) also recorded a double-double as MIT shot 49 percent from the floor and had five players reach double figures in the scoring column.

Redfield started things off for MIT (9-2) with a layup a minute and a half in that gave the Engineers a lead that they would hold for the entire first half. Three minutes in La Verne (1-10) got its first points of the contest on a lay in by Alex Wolpe (6'6''-C) that made it 4-2. MIT then outscored La Verne 7-2 over the next two minutes, taking an 11-4 advantage after a Tashman basket at the 15:22 mark.

MIT still led by seven at 15-8 after a free throw from senior James Burke (Scotch Plains, N.J.), but the Leopards came back with six straight, including five in a row from Jake Vieth, whose three-pointer cut the Engineer's lead to 15-14. MIT answered with a 10-0 run, with Burke scoring five, to take its biggest lead of the game at 25-14 midway through the half. La Verne could not get closer that seven the rest of the way as the Engineers took a 45-36 lead into the locker room.

Over the first six and a half minutes of the second half MIT kept La Verne at bay and increased its lead to 12 points when freshman Justin Pedley (Kennewick, Wash.) hit a trey at the 13:29 mark that made it 57-45. The Leopards then made their first move of the half, scoring seven straight as they pulled within five on a Vieth jumper with 12 minutes to play.

A free throw and a jumper by Redfield moved the MIT lead back to eight points, but La Verne, which held the Engineers to just one field goal over a nearly seven minute stretch, continued to draw closer. A three-point shot by Jourdan Simmonds brought the Leopards all the way back, tying the game with 7:30 left and forcing an Engineer timeout.

A minute and a half later Simmonds gave La Verne its first lead of the game when he hit a free throw that put the Leopards up 65-64 with 6:05 on the clock. Redfield answered on the other end for MIT, throwing home a dunk that ignited an 11-0 run by the Engineers that proved to be the turning point of the game. Five different players scored for MIT in the run that was finished by a Tashman jumper that made it 75-65 with 3:21 left.

La Verne came back with six straight points to pull within four on a layup by Vieth with 1:19 left, but a layup by senior Mitchell Kates (Colts Neck, N.J.) with 18 seconds left sealed the win for MIT. Brett Stephan hit a three for the Leopards with 10 seconds left and Vieth missed a game-tying trey with four ticks left as the Engineers hung on for the win.

After Redfield's 19 points, Burke came off the bench to pour in a season-high 18 points, including hitting 4-of-9 from three-point range. Tashman had 10 points and 10 rebounds to record his fifth double-double of the season, with Kates and Pedley each adding 14 points. Kates also led MIT with four assists and four steals while Redfield added four blocks. Vieth led all scorers for La Verne with 25 points with Simmonds and Wolpe reaching double figures as well with 16 and 14 points respectively. Wolpe led the Leopards with nine rebounds.

MIT will begin New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference play when it returns home, traveling to Wheaton College on January 5 for a 1:00 p.m. contest. Courtesy of: http://d3hoops.com

Whitworth Tops Hamline for 10th Straight Win - by Eurobasket News

SPOKANE, Wash. Taylor Farnsworth totaled 16 points and seven rebounds to lead 11th-ranked Whitworth to a come-from-behind 77-67 win over visiting Hamline in a non-conference men's basketball game on Monday afternoon.

Farnsworth's career-high point total helped the Pirates rally from an early seven-point deficit and improve to 10-1 with their tenth straight win. Dior Ford scored a game-high 18 points for the visiting Pipers, who dropped to 5-4 and went 1-1 on their holiday trip to Washington State.

"It is great to see Taylor continue the good play that he started in California," said Whitworth head coach Matt Logie referring to Whitworth's three wins before the Christmas break. "He has really stepped up offensively and on the boards."

Hamline came out of the gate making 7 of 10 shots on the way to a 20-13 lead following a three-pointer by Tyler Pannell, one of four he would hit in the first half. Whitworth rallied to tie the game 22-22 on a layup by Zach Payne, but the Pipers went out front again 27-22 after a pull-up jumper by Ford. Whitworth went back up 28-27 following a short jumper from Mack Larkin and the teams went to the locker rooms tied 33-33.

The first half included four lead changes. Hamlin shot 52% (14-27) in the first period, including 46% (5-11) from beyond the arc. Whitworth was 48% (14-29) from the field, but only 2-7 (29%) from three-point range.

The Pirates warmed up from three-point range in the second half, making four during a 15-6 run out of the gate that gave Whitworth a 48-39 lead. George Valle hit two of those threes for the Bucs. Whitworth stretched the lead to 54-43 after Dustin McConnell sank a pair of free throws following a technical foul against Hamline's Wesley Pinera. The Pirates took their largest lead (62-47) on a Farnsworth layup with just over eight minutes to go.

"We have grinders on this team who relish the battle and we've been able to put together important runs this season when we've needed to," Logie said.

But then it was Hamline's turn to rally. The Pipers turned up the defensive pressure, holding the Pirates to only six points over the next seven minutes. When Ryan Welsh drained a three from the corner Hamline had pulled within 65-59 with 4:24 to go. Pinera's two free throws with 1:37 to go got the Pipers within 68-65. Farnsworth answered for the Pirates with a score inside with a minute to play and Hamline coach Nelson Whitmore was whistled for a technical after vehemently arguing the play. He was subsequently given a second technical, allowing Whitworth's McConnell to shoot four free throws. McConnell made three of those to essentially seal the victory for the Pirates.

Farnsworth led five Pirates who reached double figures in scoring. McConnell finished with 15 points after going 10-12 at the free throw line and dished five assists. Valle totaled 14 points while Larkin contributed 11 points and five boards. Wade Gebbers finished with 10 points, six assists and five rebounds. Whitworth shot 57% in the second half to finish the game 52% (27-52) from the field. The Pirates were 5-9 (56%) from beyond the arc in the second half.

Ford made 8-11 from the field and two free throws for his 18 points. Noah Aguirre added 14 points and Pannell finished the game with the 12 points he scored in the opening half. Victor Easter had eight points, seven rebounds and five assists. Hamline shot 43% in the second half and finished the game 47% (27-57) from the field. The Pipers were only 2-11 from three-point range after halftime.

"Our defense didn't start out the way we'd like, but we turned up the intensity level a got some stops in the second half to be able to build our lead," Logie said.

Whitworth will return to Northwest Conference play this coming weekend with games at Pacific (Ore.) on Friday and Lewis & Clark on Saturday.Courtesy of: http://d3hoops.com

Austin, Texas Nick Haynes (5'11''-G) scored a game-high 28 points to lead the Concordia University Texas men's basketball team to a 96-82 victory over Wisconsin-Stevens Point, the fifth-ranked team in the nation on Monday, Dec. 31 at the CTX Field House. With the win, the Tornados continued their best start in school history as an NCAA Division III program.

Concordia (8-2), which has won six straight games, dominated the game after the opening tip by scoring the first seven points of the game. Larry Durand and Josh Sanchez each made a shot from beyond the arc during the stretch. Wisconsin-Stevens Point, however, came back and took its first lead, 17-16, when Trevor Hass made a layup at the 10:54 mark.

A seesaw battle ensued with the teams exchanging the lead six times before the break. Trailing 32-31, the Tornados embarked on a 17-6 run during the late stages of the half to go ahead by double figures again before Three field by three different Pointer players made it a four-point game at the break.

The teams played the second half close, as there were five ties and two more lead changes before the end of regulation. But it was Concordia that would take the lead for good when Haynes made a layup to break a 73-all deadlock with 5:25 on the clock that started a 14-4 run. A Jared Galvan layup after a Haynes trifecta made it 94-79, putting the game out of reach for the Pointers. Haynes then made two free throws with 34 seconds left to seal the final outcome.

Haynes scored a team-high 28 points by most notably shooting 60 percent from the field and 67 percent from long range to pace Concordia. Dwayne Patterson contributed a double-double with 21 points and 10 boards, while Terry Corprew had 11 points and four assists.

Wisconsin-Stevens Point (10-2), which has won three national championships under the direction of head coach Bob Semling, was led by Joe Ritchay's 20-point effort. Austin Ryf and Jordan Giordana were also among six Pointer players who scored in double figures, netting 14 and 13, respectively. Clayton Hunter fell just shy of a double double by finishing with 10 points and eight boards.

Concordia resumes conference play when it visits Texas-Tyler on Thursday, Jan. 3 at 7:30 p.m.Courtesy of:http://d3hoops.com

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POLAND

Seweryn moved from Anwil to Stelmet. Lapeta will go in the opposite side? - by Maciej Paszyn

This morning on the Anwil Wloclawek official web side put information stayed that the club had terminated the contract with Lukasz Seweryn (196-G-82) The management of the Anwil very much valued ethics of the work of player, but on account of low figure of minutes on the court were decided not to block the of his further career. Couple hours later on biggest polish basketball page was possible to read that Seweryn signed-up contract with Stelmet Zielona Gora.

Meanwhile for a few days Adam Lapeta (217-C-87, agency: Alti Sport) matter is pending. According to information from 1 January (that is yesterday) Lapeta was supposed today officially to transfer from Stelmet to Anwil. However Stelmet club and the player arent able to communicate in the formal issue of the parting. At least Lapeta didn't participate in the Wednesday's practise, but he still stays in Zielona Gora.

ESPOIR Basketball Club continued to dominate the national league after winning both their weekend games against Cercle Sportif de Kigali and United Generation Basketball respectively.On Saturday, the league leaders beat former champions Circle Sportif de Kigali 71- 46 and also thrashed United Generation Basketball (UGB) 114-46 on Sunday.Pascal Rurangirwa Karekezi scored 31 points, Aristide Mugabe (183-PG-88) and Kami Kabange added 29 and 23 points respectively for the title chasing Espoir at Amahoro indoor stadium court.Record league winners APR beat the defending champions Kigali Basketball Club 58-52.Espoir have not won the league since 2005 but head coach Jean Bahufite is confident his side is capable of winning the title this season."I am confident with my team, and without being overconfident, I believe we will win the league. We have very good players, who know what it takes to be successful," Bahufite told Times Sport after Sunday's big win over UGB.The Nyamirambo-based side lead the league with 24 points, followed by Kigali Basketball Club and Cercle Sportif de Kigali, both at 20 points.APR is in fourth place with 19 points, United Generation Basketball 17pts, Kigali Institute of Education follows with 15pts, 30-Plus 14pts, Rusizi has 12pts, while National University of Rwanda is at the bottom with 11pts.Courtesy of: http://basket-in-africa.blogspot.com

The year 2013 did not started well for two players of Astrum Levice. General manager Lubos Pohanka has told via the official site that they are cutting two players before the upcoming matches. Martin Sykora (192-G/F-81) was member of Astrum Levice squad for two years, but after the change of coaches he did not play much minutes in games. This season he participated in 14 games of extraliga with average of 6.9 ppg and 4.1 rpg. The second name is american guard David Kyles (190-G-89, college: Wichita St.). Kyles returned after serious injury, but his form was not optimal. He started in 12 games where he averaged 12.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.3 apg and 1.5 spg. The general manager also stated that Brian Addison and Brandon Fields are staying in their squad.

BC Union Olimpija Ljubljana and Dominic Waters (185-PG-86, college: Portland St.) mutually terminated the contract today. Despite the two-way effort, the player couldn't find appropriate role in the team, and both sides quickly agreed on consensual termination of the contract. He averaged 2.4 points and 3.6 assists per game in Euroleague. The club will not be looking for a replacement in the moment. Dominic Waters will continue his career in Hapoel Holon (Israel).

American forward Ricardo Ratliffe (203-F-89) had a very impressive game in the last round for second-ranked Mobis Phoebus, receiving a Asia-basket.com Player of the Week award for round 20.The 23-year old player had a double-double of 27 points and 16 rebounds, while his team edged out Dongbu Promy (#9, 9-18) 74-70. Mobis Phoebus is placed at 2nd position in South Korean KBL. They would have been even better if they hadn't lost a few games earlier this season. Mobis Phoebus will need more victories to improve their 19-8 record. Ratliffe turned to be Mobis Phoebus' top player in his first season with the team. Former University of Missouri star has very solid stats this year. Ratliffe is in league's top in rebounds (5th best: 8.6rpg) and averages impressive 1.5bpg and 60.7% FGP.

The second best player in last round's games was 30-year old German Julian Sensley (206-F-82) of Dongbu Promy. Sensley had a very good evening with 30 points, 9 rebounds and 2 assists. Of course Dongbu Promy cruised to a 71-63 relatively comfortable win over slightly higher-ranked Samsung Th. (#7, 12-15). Dongbu Promy's 9th position in the standings has not changed. His team is not often considered as one of the league's best with a mere 9-18 record. Sensley is a newcomer at Dongbu Promy, but is already one of team's top players.

Third on the list of top players last round was Belizean forward Leon Williams (203-F/C-86) of Goyang Orions (#6). Williams scored 17 points and grabbed seventeen rebounds (!!!). He was a key player of Goyang Orions, leading his team to a 80-65 easy win against Samsung Th. (12-15). The chances of Goyang Orions ranking at the top of the league, however are very questionable as they have already lost 15 games, recording just twelve victories. With bigger assistance of his teammates, Williams could help Goyang Orions to bring them higher in the standings. Williams has a great season in South Korea. After 27 games, he made it on the list of the league's leaders in points with 16.7ppg (6th best) and rebounds with 11.8rpg (#1 in league).

The Player of the week is choosen based on efficiency calculation, but also including game result, importance of the game, if played recorded double-double/triple-double, etc.The efficiency formula is a combination of various formulas used by different basketball organizations/leagues. We got involved many basketball scouts and journalists to assure it's accuracy.The formula: 1.5*PTS + 3*(REB+AST+ST+BL-TO) - 2*BSAG - 4*PF + 3*PFRV + 4*(2FGPM+3FGPM) + 1.5*FTM - 3*(2FGPA-2FGPM) - 3*(3FGPA-3FGPM) - (FTA-FTM)

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SPAIN

Serge Ibaka's double-double lands him Player of the Week award among Spaniards playing currently abroad - by Eurobasket Center

We bring you last week's top performances from Spaniards who are playing abroad and who all have had prior experience of national team duties at youth or senior level.

#1. This week's number one is an international power forward Serge Ibaka (208-89, currently plays in NBA). He was the major contributor in an overtime Oklahoma City Thunder's victory against the Dallas Mavericks (13-19) 111-105 in the NBA last Thursday.
Ibaka recorded a double-double by scoring 19 points and getting 17 rebounds. He also added 5 blocks.
The Oklahoma City Thunder has quite an impressive 24-6 record this season.
It was his team's third consecutive victory in a row.
Ibaka has individually a very good season with high stats. He averages: 14.3ppg, 8.5rpg, 3.0bpg, 2FGP: 58.0%(174-300), 3FGP: 29.4% and FT: 82.3%.
Ibaka has a dual citizenship: Congolese and Spanish.
Ex-C.B. L'Hospitalet player is currently a member of the Spanish senior national team.

#2. Second place goes to an international center Marc Gasol (216-85, agency: Interperformances, currently plays in NBA), who plays in the NBA. He could not help the Memphis Grizzlies (19-9) in their last game. Despite Gasol's very good performance the Memphis Grizzlies lost 89-99 on the road to the Philadelphia 76ers.
He was the second best scorer with 18 points. Gasol also added 8 boards, handed out 8 passes and blocked 2 shots in 38 minutes.
But this is still an early stage of the season and everything may happen.
It's Gasol's fifth year with the team.
He has very impressive stats this season: 14.3ppg, 7.5rpg, 3.9apg, 1.8bpg, 2FGP: 50.3% and FT: 88.0% in the 28 games he played so far.
Gasol is in the roster of the Spanish senior national team.

#3. The Spanish player who performed third best last week abroad was an experienced international power forward Pau Gasol (213-80, currently plays in NBA), who plays in the NBA. He was not able to help the Los Angeles Lakers (15-16) in their last game on Wednesday. Despite Gasol's very good performance the Los Angeles Lakers were defeated 126-114 in Denver by the Nuggets.
He was the second best scorer with 19 points. Gasol also added 6 boards, handed out 5 passes and blocked 2 shots.
Gasol is one of the most experienced players in a team as it's his fifth year in Lakers' roster.
This season he has very high stats. Gasol averages: 12.7ppg, 8.7rpg, 4.0apg, 1.4bpg, 2FGP: 42.1%, 3FGP: 36.8% and FT: 74.7%.
He is also a member of the Spanish senior national team.

#4. Point guard Jose Manuel Calderon (192-81, currently plays in NBA) led Toronto Raptors to an easy victory against the Orlando Magic (12-19) crushing them 123-88 in the NBA on Saturday night.
Calderon recorded a double-double by scoring 15 points and making 10 passes.
The Toronto Raptors have 11-20 record this season.
Calderon has been at the team for eight years.
He is currently sixth on the list of best passers.
Calderon has very reliable stats this season: 10.3ppg, 2.7rpg and 7.6apg.
He is also Spanish national team player.

#5. Former international center Albert Miralles (208-82, also represented by Interperformances, currently plays in Euroleague), who plays in Germany was not able to secure a victory for ALBA Berlin (0-1) in their last game. Despite Miralles' good performance the sixth-placed ALBA Berlin lost 63-77 in Madrid to the higher-ranked (#4) Real in the group E of Euroleague.
He was the top scorer with 14 points. Miralles also added 4 rebounds in 21 minutes.
This year Miralles' overall stats are: 6.6ppg and 4.3rpg in the 11 games.
He used to play for the Spanish national team
eight years ago.

#6. Power forward Victor Claver (207-88, currently plays in NBA) contributed to a Portland Trail Blazers' victory against the Philadelphia 76ers (15-17) 89-85 in the NBA last Saturday.
Claver scored 8 points.
The Portland Trail Blazers have 16-14 record this season.
Claver's total stats this year are: 2.0ppg and 2.1rpg.
He is an international player who is currently on the senior Spanish National Team roster.

#7. Former international guard Ricky Rubio (192-90, currently plays in NBA) couldn't help the Minnesota Timberwolves (14-13) in their game against the Houston Rockets (17-14) in the NBA.
Rubio scored 8 points in 21 minutes.
The Minnesota Timberwolves were edged 87-84 in Houston by the Rockets.
But the season just started, so everything may happen.
This year Rubio's total stats are: 4.2ppg, 2.0rpg, 4.0apg and 1.2spg in the five games.
He used to play for the Spanish national team
two years ago.

#8. Point guard Daniel Munoz (183-87, currently plays college basketball in the States) couldn't help the American in their game against the University of Kansas (0-0) in the NCAA.
He recorded 6 points.
The American was crushed 89-57 in Lawrence, KS by the University of Kansas.
Munoz plays fourth season for the team.
Munoz has averaged so far 8.3ppg, 5.1rpg and 3.7apg.
He used to play for the Spanish U17 national team
back in 2003.

The list of other players, who all have Spanish passport but never been selected to any of Spanish national teams:

#1. Experienced Luis Scola (206-F/C-80, currently plays in NBA), who plays in the NBA could not help the Phoenix Suns (11-21) in their last game. Despite his very good performance the Phoenix Suns lost 107-111 on the road to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Scola had a double-double by scoring 33 points and getting 10 rebounds. He also added 2 blocks in 43 minutes.
It was Suns' sixth consecutive loss in a row.
Scola has individually a very good year with high stats. He averages: 12.8ppg, 6.3rpg and 1.9apg in the 32 games he played so far.
Scola has a dual citizenship: Argentinian and Spanish.

#2.Tiago Splitter (211-C/F-85, agency: Interperformances, currently plays in NBA) led San Antonio Spurs to an easy victory against the Dallas Mavericks (13-19) crushing them 111-86 in the NBA last Sunday.
Splitter scored 13 points and grabbed 6 rebounds in 27 minutes.
The San Antonio Spurs have quite an impressive 25-8 record this season.
It was his team's sixth consecutive victory in a row.
Splitter has relatively good stats this year: 9.5ppg, 4.9rpg and 1.4apg in the 33 games.
He is another player who holds two passports: Brazilian and Spanish.

#3.Ontario Lett (198-F-79, college: Pittsburgh, currently plays in Iran) led Naft Sepahan to a victory over the closely-ranked Al Badr (3-8) 100-88 in the Iranian Superleague in Monday night's game.
Lett was MVP of the game. He recorded a double-double by scoring 29 points and getting 13 rebounds. Lett also added and 4 steals.
Naft Sepahan Tehran (2-9) closes the standings in the Superleague.
There are only two games left until the end of the Regular Season. So now every game will be critical.
Lett is currently first on the list of top scorers and also on the list of best rebounders (first place).
This season he has very high stats. Lett averages: 27.0ppg, 8.5rpg and 3.5spg.
He is a naturalized American.
Lett used to play for Calpe Aguas in Spanish league.

#4.Omar Quintero (183-PG-81, college: S.Nazarene, currently plays in Mexico), who plays in the Mexican LNBP (second division) was not able to help Huracanes (20-15) in their last game. Despite his very good performance Huracanes lost 88-100 in Xalapa to the leading Halcones UV.
Quintero was the top scorer with 16 points. He also added 6 rebounds and dished 5 assists in 34 minutes.
Quintero has relatively good stats this year: 14.0ppg, 3.9rpg and 4.4apg in the 25 games.
He has both Spanish and Mexican nationalities.

#5.Rafael Lopez (204-C-86, currently plays in France), who plays in the French ProB (second division) was not able to secure a victory for Denain Voltaire (5-12) in their last game on Wednesday. Despite Lopez's very good performance Denain Voltaire was defeated 95-84 in Antibes by the second-ranked Olympique.
He was the second best scorer with 19 points. Lopez also added 9 rebounds and 3 assists.
It's Lopez's first season with the team.
He has averaged so far 8.6ppg, 5.7rpg and 1.6apg.

#6.Ignacio Ordin (183-PG-78, currently plays in France) was the major contributor in Pau-Lacq-Orthez's victory against the league outsider Bordeaux crushing them 109-64 in the French ProB (second division) in Wednesday night's game.
Ordin recorded 13 points and added 5 passes in a mere 18 minutes.
He has averaged so far 8.4ppg, 2.0rpg and 2.9apg in the 16 games.

#7.Aigars Skele (192-F-92, currently plays in Latvia) couldn't help Barons kvartals in their game against VEF Riga in the Latvian LBL.
Skele recorded 7 points.
His team was defeated 84-72.
He has averaged so far 5.5ppg, 2.8rpg and 1.3apg.

#8.Jeffrey Bonds (199-F-82, college: Cal Poly Pomona, currently plays in Germany) couldn't help LTi 46ers in their game against Mitteldeutscher BC in the German BBL.
Bonds scored 7 points and grabbed 6 rebounds in 34 minutes.
His team lost 88-93.
He has averaged so far 6.5ppg and 3.5rpg in the four games.
Bonds is a naturalized American.
He used to play for Basquet Muro in Spanish league.

#9.Martin Calvo (198-F-88, currently plays in United Kingdom) couldn't help the league outsider Liverpool Mersey Tigers in their game against Manchester Giants in the British BBL.
Calvo scored 5 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, passed 4 assists and added 4 blocks.
His team was crushed by 31 points 96-65.
Calvo is currently fifth on the list of best blockers.
He has averaged so far 8.3ppg, 5.1rpg and 3.7apg.
Calvo also holds two passports: Argentinian and Spanish.

#10.Marco Porcher (193-G-92, currently plays college basketball in the States) couldn't help the FIU in their game against the Middle Tennessee State University in the NCAA.
He recorded 5 points in 14 minutes.
His team was badly defeated by 17 points 69-52.
Porcher has averaged so far 8.3ppg, 5.1rpg and 3.7apg in the 10 games.

TANZANIA is ready to host more than ten teams which are expected to participate in this year's Zone Five Basketball Championship to be staged in Dar es Salaam from January 21 to 27.Tanzania Basketball Federation (TBF), Assistant Secretary General, Michael Maluwe said that preparations for the event are progressing well with host keeping on early training for their national sides. However, Maluwe called for material and financial support for the national sides currently training at the Don Bosco grounds in the city."We call for public support be it financial or material to facilitate the national team's proper training as well as to show up for the training session and cheer them up," he said. He said the men side is training at the Don Bosco Oysterbay under Coach Bahati Mgunda, while the ladies side is training at Don Bosco Upanga grounds under the tutelage of Evarist Mapunda.Maluwe said currently they are doing renovation of the National Indoor Stadium and they are putting marking at the open space at the National Stadium where the games will be played too. "The government has given us the open space at the National Stadium, we are currently putting on marking and fixing goals ahead of the event," he said.He said by January 10, this year, they will be in position to know the countries which will make it for the event since the confirmation and registration is done through FIBA. The expected countries for the meet so far are host Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Egypt, Ethiopia and Southern Sudan. He was not sure about Djibouti and Somalia participation.Courtesy of: http://basket-in-africa.blogspot.com

Mehmet Yagmur (188-PG-87) who is top scorer among domestic players in TBL decided to end his contract with Olin Edirne Basketball. He had some problems during season with club management. He was also leading his team 16 ppg. It is known that some italian teams are interested in Mehmet Yagmur and if he signs with Turkish team, Olin Edirne Basketball has to be paid 100 k TL as buy out fee. Mehmet Yagmur previosuly played in Besiktas, Karsiyaka and Tofas.

A 6-foot-6 senior forward,Javier Martinez (93) was named to the all-tournament team at the Neosho Holiday Classic after helping the Cougars to a second-place finish. A first-year starter, Martinez was a vital cog the Cougars run to the championship game with big performances in victories over Pierce City (30 points, 18 rebounds), Ruskin (28 points, 14 rebounds) and Memphis Sheffield (28 points, 14 rebounds). The Cougars fell to Sunrise Christian in the championship game and Martinez finished with 11 points and eight rebounds. Martinez, who was the MVP of the Borgia Tournament earlier this season, has had scholarship offers from Morehead State and Southern Mississippi.

Guzman was the fifth overall selection in the 2012 UBA draft. He was selected by the Southern Generals and was selected to help led the Generals back to the promise land. It's now on hold as Guzman heads to Europe in hopes to turn around the Vikings.

Before joining the Generals Guzman played in the Dominican Republic for Capitanes de la Bahia where he was named league Rookie of the Year. He also played on the Dominican National Team with Atlanta Hawk Alfred Horford (6'10''-F/C-86, college: Florida).

Guzman will return to the Generals after all-star break.

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UGANDA

Basketball to Continue Progress Path in 2013 - by Eurobasket News

Basketball was blessed not to have had any major off-court distractions last year and 2013 shouldn't be any different, John Vianney Nsimbe.The leagues, right from the first to third division, ended strongly and that should be the way they begin. Contrary to previous beliefs, men's basketball in the second and third divisions has climbed up a big notch. It's becoming so competitive and interesting that more fans will follow trends down there.With youngsters like Tony Mayambala of Makindye Shooters among the top prospects, the game always thrives when a host of efficient talent is churned out. Look at how Emmanuel Enabu, fresh from high school and straight into the Dmark Power side in 2010, simply awed the fans with a title-winning debut season playing with grace, solidity and panache.Last year, players like Brian Namake and Innocent Odour of UCU Canons were a point of discussion for the quality they added into UCU. With that fact, UCU Canons should be unplayable this year although Power should come back strong while Falcons, five years without a league trophy, will be so motivated to win. However, the more the men's game has grown, the less powerful the women's game has turned out to be.The gulf in quality between UCU Ladies and KCC Leopards compared to the rest of the pack is quite big and it's disconcerting. Fuba is trying to come up with measures to see to it that the women's game returns to its competitive heights it once was back in 2008 and the years before. With Lady-Bucks not barking, A1-Challenge not challenging, KIU Rangers soft as silk and MUK Sparks not sparkling, the future of the women's game is bleak and fans watching will continue to decrease.More quality players will be needed across the board like Frances Nabulobi, Judith Akoth (Lulu), Becky Akello and Olivia Mulwana once were at the peak of their powers. In addition, the game is expected to benefit from the development of more coaches and referees. Last season, referees struck for delayed and poor payment and Fuba will have to address that problem.Such situations must be settled fast to avoid putting off new teams that want to enrol in the league because of the attraction that basketball offers due to its meteoric rise. But at the dawn of 2013, the focus will be on both the men and women's national teams that will be competing in the Africa Zone Five championships in Tanzania this month.Uganda's teams have come short at this level and hopefully with the experience acquired over the last three campaigns, the men's title-winning feat in the 2005 regional championship can be replicated.Courtesy of: http://basket-in-africa.blogspot.com

BC Donetsk are considering to add Kyrylo Fesenko to their roster - by Eurobasket News

BC Donetsk (Superleague) is close to sign 27-year old Ukrainian ex-international center Kyrylo Fesenko (213-136kg-86) who played last time at Chicago Bulls in NBA. Part of last season Fesenko spent at the Pacers in NBA. In three games last year he had just 2.7ppg and 3.0rpg. He also played at the Warriors in NBA earlier that season. In three games he recorded only 2.7ppg and 3.0rpg. Fesenko played in the final of NBA Eastern Conference -12.The previous (10-11) season Fesenko played at the Jazz in NBA. In 52 games that year he recorded only 2.0ppg and 2.1rpg.In 2007 he was drafted by Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) in second round (38th overall). he was selected to D-League All-Star Game back in 2008.Fesenko was also a member of Ukrainian international program for some years. He played for Ukrainian Senior National Team between 2005 and 2011 and previouslyfor University National Team in 2005. Fesenko also represented Ukraine at the European Championships in Lithuania two years ago. His stats at that event were 5 games: 5.0ppg, 2.4rpg.Fesenko has played also professionally in NBA (Utah Jazz), Ukraine (Azovmash Mariupol and Cherkasy) and D-League (Utah Flash).

By Eurobasket Data Center

BC Donetsk bring in Curtis Millage - by Eurobasket News

BC Donetsk bolstered their backcourt. They agreed on terms of contract with Curtis Millage (185-G-81, college: Arizona St.). The guard signed contract until the end of the season. He is meant to replace Doron Perkins (188-PG-83, college: Santa Clara) who has been cut. Curtis Millage started the season in Georgia. He played for Armia Tbilisi. The guard notched 16.3 points, 3.7 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game in EuroChallenge. In Superleague his stats read 11.7 points, 4.4 boards, 4.0 assists and 2.3 steals per appearance. Curtis Millage is not new to Ukraine. He used to play for Khimik in 2010/11 season. The guard averaged 14.9 points, 4.5 assists, 3.1 boards and 2.4 steals per game in Ukrainian Superleague. He was named All-Ukrainian Superleague Defensive Player of the Year.

The Regular Season in Superleague is slowly approaching the end. But there may be still some important changes in the final standings in the last 5 rounds.

The most exciting game of round 34 in the Superleague took place in Lviv. This derby game ended with only two-point defeat on the road of much higher ranked Azovmash (17-6) to fifth ranked Halychyna (14-10) 80-78 on Wednesday evening. It ended at the same time the five-game winning streak of Azovmash. Serbian power forward Vladan Vukosavljevic (206-84, agency: Beo Basket) fired a double-double by scoring 24 points and 12 rebounds for the winners. American point guard Darrel Mitchell (181-84, college: LSU, agency: Beo Basket) chipped in 22 points. The former international center Oleksiy Pecherov (213-85) produced 26 points and 5 rebounds for lost side. Azovmash's coach Sergei Zavalin rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. Halychyna have a solid four-game winning streak. They moved-up to fourth place. Azovmash at the other side keeps the second position with six games lost. They share it with Ferro-ZNTU. Halychyna are looking forward to face BC Donetsk (#7) at home in the next round. Azovmash will play against Hoverla (#5) in Frankivsk and is hoping to win this game. Another exciting game was played in Frankivsk between seventh ranked BC Donetsk and 4th ranked Hoverla where BC Donetsk (12-10) won against Hoverla (13-11) on the road 83-72. Worth to mention a great performance of Lithuanian power forward Darius Songaila (204-78, college: Wake Forest, agency: Priority Sports) who helped to win the game recording 21 points and 9 rebounds. D'or Fischer contributed with 14 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists for the winners. BC Donetsk's coach Josep Berrocal allowed to play the deep bench players saving starting five for next games. American Kyndall Dykes (190-87, college: New Orleans, agency: Edge Sports) replied with 18 points and 5 rebounds for Hoverla. Defending champion maintains seventh position with 12-10 record. Hoverla at the other side dropped to the fifth place with 11 games lost. BC Donetsk will play against higher ranked Halychyna (#4) in Lviv in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. Hoverla will play at home against Azovmash in Mariupol and it may be a tough game between close rivals.

The most exciting game of round 34 in the Superleague took place in Lviv. This derby game ended with only two-point defeat on the road of much higher ranked Azovmash (17-6) to fifth ranked Halychyna (14-10) 80-78 on Wednesday evening. It ended at the same time the five-game winning streak of Azovmash. Serbian power forward Vladan Vukosavljevic (206-84, agency: Beo Basket) fired a double-double by scoring 24 points and 12 rebounds for the winners. American point guard Darrel Mitchell (181-84, college: LSU, agency: Beo Basket) chipped in 22 points. The former international center Oleksiy Pecherov (213-85) produced 26 points and 5 rebounds and American point guard Lynn Greer (186-79, college: Temple) added 8 points and 8 assists respectively for lost side. Four Azovmash players scored in double figures. Azovmash's coach Sergei Zavalin rotated ten players in this game, but that didn't help. Halychyna have a solid four-game winning streak. They moved-up to fourth place. Azovmash at the other side keeps the second position with six games lost. They share it with Ferro-ZNTU. Halychyna are looking forward to face BC Donetsk (#7) at home in the next round. Azovmash will play against Hoverla (#5) in Frankivsk and is hoping to win this game. Top scorers:Azovmash: O.Pecherov 26+5reb, O.Kolchenko 12+6reb+1ast, M.Raduljica 10+8reb, M.Harris 10+2reb+2ast, L.Greer 8+3reb+8ast, T.Dragicevic 5+4reb+1astHalychyna: V.Vukosavljevic 24+12reb+2ast, D.Mitchell 22+2reb+3ast, S.Vasiljevic 10+1reb+3ast, I.Shkurupiy 6+3reb+1ast, M.Lee 5+2reb+1ast, L.Stefanishin 4+4reb+3ast

Another exciting game was played in Frankivsk between seventh ranked BC Donetsk and 4th ranked Hoverla where BC Donetsk (12-10) won against Hoverla (13-11) on the road 83-72. The game without a history. BC Donetsk led from the first minutes and controlled entire game increasing their lead in each quarter. Their players were unselfish on offense dishing 22 assists. Worth to mention a great performance of Lithuanian power forward Darius Songaila (204-78, college: Wake Forest, agency: Priority Sports) who helped to win the game recording 21 points and 9 rebounds. American-Trinidad and Tobago center D'or Fischer (211-81, college: W.Virginia) contributed with 14 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists for the winners. BC Donetsk's coach Josep Berrocal allowed to play the deep bench players saving starting five for next games. American Kyndall Dykes (190-87, college: New Orleans, agency: Edge Sports) replied with 18 points and 5 rebounds and his fellow American import guard Eugene Lawrence (184-86, college: St.John's, agency: Two Points) added 15 points and 7 assists in the effort for Hoverla. Defending champion maintains seventh position with 12-10 record. Hoverla at the other side dropped to the fifth place with 11 games lost. BC Donetsk will play against higher ranked Halychyna (#4) in Lviv in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. Hoverla will play at home against Azovmash in Mariupol and it may be a tough game between close rivals. Top scorers:Hoverla: K.Dykes 18+5reb+3ast, T.Peterson 15+7reb, E.Lawrence 15+3reb+7ast, Y.Frasenyuk 8+3reb+1ast, Y.Lemyk 7+1reb+3ast, R.Pearson 7+2reb+3astBC Donetsk: D.Songaila 21+9reb, R.Curry 14+1reb+8ast, D.Fischer 14+7reb+4ast, M.Pustozvonov 9+3reb+3ast, D.Lukashov 8+2reb+4ast, D.Gliebov 6

Serbian Vladan Vukosavljevic (206-F/C-84, agency: Beo Basket) had a great game in the last round for Halychyna and that's him to receive a Eurobasket.com Player of the Week award for round 34.The 28-year old power forward had a double-double of 24 points and twelve rebounds, while his team edged out Azovmash (#3, 17-6) 80-78. The game was between two of the league's top four teams. Halychyna is placed at 4th position in Ukrainian Superleague. They would have been even better if they hadn't lost a few games earlier this season. Halychyna will need more victories to improve their 14-10 record. It's Vukosavljevic's second year at Halychyna and it's hard to imagine this team without him. Vladan Vukosavljevic averages this season 15.5ppg and 9.0rpg.

The second most remarkable performance in last round's games was 26-year old American guard Eugene Lawrence (184-G-86, agency: Two Points) of Hoverla. Lawrence impressed basketball fans with 15 points, 3 rebounds and 7 assists. Bad luck as Hoverla lost that game 72-83 to slightly lower-ranked BC Donetsk (#7, 12-10). This loss caused Hoverla to drop to 5th position in the standings. His team lost some distance to top teams. But 13-11 record is not bad and everything may still change. Lawrence is a newcomer at Hoverla and it seems he did not have too much trouble to become one of team's leaders.

The third best performed player last round was Lithuanian Darius Songaila (204-C/F-78, agency: Priority Sports) of BC Donetsk (#7). Songaila scored 21 points and grabbed nine rebounds. He was a key player of BC Donetsk, leading his team to a 83-72 win against slightly higher-ranked Hoverla (#5, 13-11). BC Donetsk needs these victories very badly if they think about getting closer to top teams. Their record at this point is 12 victories and 10 lost games. Songaila has a very solid season. In 16 games in Ukraine he scored 15.3ppg. He also has 6.2rpg and FGP: 54.5%.

The Player of the week is choosen based on efficiency calculation, but also including game result, importance of the game, if played recorded double-double/triple-double, etc.The efficiency formula is a combination of various formulas used by different basketball organizations/leagues. We got involved many basketball scouts and journalists to assure it's accuracy.The formula: 1.5*PTS + 3*(REB+AST+ST+BL-TO) - 2*BSAG - 4*PF + 3*PFRV + 4*(2FGPM+3FGPM) + 1.5*FTM - 3*(2FGPA-2FGPM) - 3*(3FGPA-3FGPM) - (FTA-FTM)

Worcester Wolves coach Paul James was a happy man after a successful Christmas period for his side.

The Wolves chalked up a BBL Championship victory against Glasgow Rocks and progressed to the BBL Trophy quarter-final with a win against UCP Marjon Plymouth Raiders, and James was clearly delighted with the two successes for his side:

"As a team we are gradually starting to hit our stride and so I like the way we now look.

"The Rocks game was tough, but whereas before we have collapsed in the final quarter of games, we are now doing the right things and coming out with good wins. Kai Williams, Arturas [Masiulis] and Stan [Ocitti] have all done well, but it has been the team effort that has allowed them to be successful. Gareth Murray did well for them.

"Against Raiders, I did not think that this was our best performance this season as we shot the ball poorly in this game. However I was delighted that we stuck to the game plan and finally made some shots in the fourth quarter that saw us pull clear of the Raiders. Arturas again had a big game for us as did Arnas [Kazlauskas] and Stan, but it was the teams battling performance that pleased me most.

"Javarris Barnett had a good game for Plymouth."

Wolves return to action on Saturday with a key BBL Championship game against high-flying Jelson Homes Leicester Riders on the road at the John Sandford Sports Centre. They then have a week off, but there will be no rest for James as he coaches the England Select side who will take on Ireland in the warm-up game before the BBL Cup final between Riders and holders Newcastle Eagles at the NIA in Birmingham.

As his side prepare for Saturday's BBL Championship game against Durham Wildcats Surrey Heat coach Creon Raftopoulos knows they face a tough test if they are to carry their good start to the season into 2013.

The Heat opened the New Year with a home victory against London Lions which consolidated their third place in the BBL Championship, but Raftopoulos knows it will be tough to maintain their form:

"We're sitting in a good position in the league even though behind the scenes it's been tough keeping a full squad of players healthy and fit" said the 38-year-old who is in his third year as Heat coach.

"We dealt with the big loss of Martelle [McLemore] in November with a couple of wins before integrating Travis Holmes into the team. Peter Simek then went down which took away some rebounding and size presence in the paint. With McLemore due to be cleared to play we now have to get him back up to speed and into the flow of the team.

"I feel if we can stay fully fit and healthy and the weight of a having a thin squad going into the latter parts of the season does not hurt us we could hold on to a top four finish or better.

"I expect Worcester Wolves to get stronger and pick up wins with the squad Paul has put together Sherrad Prezzie-Blue and Kai Williams are both game change players. Then the talented squad Gavin Love at Plymouth has will also make a push to challenge at the top so we know we have our work cut out for us to maintain our position."

Tip-off for the game against Wildcats at Surrey Sports Park on Saturday is 7pm, and the Heat are also in action on Sunday when they make the short journey to Reading to face the Division One leading Rockets.

Both Anthony Rowe (203-F-85, college: N.Georgia) and Rob Paternostro were pleased to progress to the BBL Trophy quarter-final after Jelson Homes DMU Leicester Riders won 105-63 at Essex Leopards on Sunday.

The comfortable victory against the vcars.co.uk Division One champions saw Riders set up a last eight visit to either Surrey Heat or Reading Rockets.

"It was one of those games against a side a division below you where you know you have more talent but it comes down to desire" said British forward Rowe (pictured).

"I was impressed with Leopards, though. They showed a lot of heart, we blitzed them early on, but to give them some props they stuck at it and made it a nine point game at half-time.

"They kept battling and had some calls that they weren't happy with, but they have some talent in that side."

It was Riders' first game for a fortnight, and Rowe believed it was beneficial for them: "We definitely needed the game after the Christmas break so we could go through a few things and get back to playing good defence. They wanted that win so we had to focus and not take anything for granted. We needed to be turned in, and I think the game will help us as we prepare for the [BBL Cup] final."

Paternostro was also happy with the victory: "I thought we played pretty well against Leopards, we had a poor few minutes at the end of the first half but was happy with the effort from all of our players

"I thought Zaire Taylor was very active on defence and was able to make plays, he has been playing very well, he is a guard that impacts the game in many ways.

"Drew Sullivan had a nice all around game, I thought he distributed the ball very well and Pavel Losonsky was effective and able to finish at the basket. I thought Jay Couisnard shooting in the second half really opened things up for us on offence, and defensively we played an intelligent game

"Greg Hernandez played well for Essex and I was impressed with how hard they played."

Riders return to action on Saturday with a key BBL Championship game against in-form Worcester Wolves at John Sandford Sports Centre before travelling to London Lions next Tuesday for the first live Sky TV game of the season.

Luol Deng's double-double lands him Player of the Week award among British players playing currently abroad - by Eurobasket Center

Traditionally, every week we bring you a list of the top performances of British players who are currently playing abroad.

#1. This week's number one is an international forward Luol Deng (206-85, agency: Interperformances, college: Duke, currently plays in NBA), who plays in the NBA. He could not help the Chicago Bulls (16-13) in their last game. Despite Deng's very good performance the Chicago Bulls lost 81-91 on the road to the Charlotte Bobcats.
He had a double-double by scoring 20 points and getting 12 rebounds. Deng also added 4 assists and 3 steals in 38 minutes on the court.
It's Deng's ninth season with the team.
He has individually a very good year with high stats. Deng averages: 17.6ppg, 7.1rpg, 2.8apg, 2FGP: 45.8%, 3FGP: 29.5% and FT: 81.6% in the 29 games he played so far.
He has a dual citizenship: British and Sudanese.
Deng is currently a member of the British senior national team.

#2. Second place goes to an international guard Ben Gordon (188-83, college: Connecticut, currently plays in NBA) faced previously mentioned Luol Deng in the NBA last game.
Gordon led Charlotte Bobcats to a victory against the Chicago Bulls (16-13) 91-81.
He recorded 15 points and added 3 assists.
This season Gordon has very high stats. He averages: 12.8ppg, 1.8rpg, 2.3apg, 2FGP: 45.7%, 3FGP: 41.1% and FT: 86.3%.
Gordon is a naturalized American.
He is in the roster of the British senior national team. Strangely Gordon has never played in United Kingdom.

#3. The British player who performed third best last week abroad was former international forward Dante Cunningham (203-87, college: Villanova, currently plays in NBA). He was not able to help the Minnesota Timberwolves (14-13) in their game against the Houston Rockets (17-14) in the NBA.
Cunningham scored 8 points, grabbed 9 rebounds and made 2 blocks in 37 minutes.
The Minnesota Timberwolves were edged 87-84 in Houston by the Rockets.
But this is still an early stage of the season and everything may happen.
It's Cunningham's first year with the team.
He has relatively good stats this season: 7.2ppg, 5.1rpg, 2FGP: 48.9% and FT: 65.4% in the 27 games.
Cunningham is a naturalized American.
He played for the British national team five years ago.
Apparently Cunningham has never played in United Kingdom.

#4. Point guard Andrew Lawrence (185-90, currently plays college basketball in the States) contributed to Charleston's victory against the Marist College (1-1) 85-75 in the NCAA in Monday night's game.
He scored 22 points, had 5 rebounds and dished 4 assists.
The College of Charleston has 1-0 conference record this season.
Lawrence is one of the most experienced players in a team as it's his fourth year in Charleston's roster.
Lawrence's overall stats this season are: 7.2ppg and 5.1rpg.
He is also British national team player.

#5. Former U20 international forward Will Neighbour (208-90, currently studies in the States), who plays in the NCAA was not able to secure a victory for the UALR (2-2) in their last game. Despite Neighbour's very good performance the UALR (#3) lost 70-79 in Lafayette, LA to the University Louisiana at Lafayette.
He had a double-double by scoring 17 points and getting 14 rebounds in 30 minutes.
This year Neighbour's overall stats are: 7.2ppg and 5.1rpg in the 27 games.
He used to play for the British U20 national team
three years ago.

#6. Center Eric Boateng (208-85, also represented by Interperformances, college: Arizona St., currently plays in Germany), who plays in the German BBL couldn't help New Yorker Phantoms (6-10) in their last game on Sunday. Despite Boateng's very good performance New Yorker Phantoms was badly defeated 83-67 in Bamberg by the leading Brose Baskets.
He recorded a double-double by scoring 21 points and getting 11 rebounds.
It's Boateng's first season with the team.
Boateng is currently fifth on the league's list of best rebounders.
His total stats this season are: 9.5ppg and 6.7rpg.
Boateng is an international player who is currently on the senior British National Team roster.

#7. International power forward Daniel Clark (210-88, currently plays in Spain) contributed to an easy victory against the 12th-ranked UCAM Murcia (6-9) crushing them 91-68 in the Spanish ACB in Sunday night's game.
He scored 10 points and grabbed 5 rebounds in 18 minutes.
Asefa Estudiantes Madrid (8-7) is placed seventh in the ACB.
Clark has been at the team for four years.
This season Clark's total stats are: 3.8ppg and 2.6rpg in the 11 games.
He is also British national team player.

#8. Forward Joel Freeland (208-87, currently plays in NBA) couldn't help the Portland Trail Blazers (16-14) in their game against the Los Angeles Lakers (15-16) in the NBA.
Freeland recorded 6 points.
The Portland Trail Blazers were badly defeated 104-87 in Los Angeles by the Lakers.
Freeland has averaged so far 2.6ppg and 1.9rpg.
He plays currently for the British national team.

#9. Former international point guard Justin Robinson (187-87, agency: Two Points, college: Rider, currently plays in Ukraine), who plays in the Ukrainian Superleague couldn't help BC Kyiv (5-19) in their last game. Despite Robinson's very good performance the bottom-ranked BC Kyiv was edged 74-73 in Donetsk by the much higher-ranked (#7) BC Donetsk.
He was the top scorer with 17 points. Robinson also added 8 rebounds and dished 7 assists in 38 minutes; quite an impressive performance considering it's only his second season in pro basketball. It was BC Kyiv's third consecutive loss in a row.
There are only two games left until the end of the Regular Season. So now every game will be critical.
This year Robinson has relatively solid stats: 10.6ppg, 2.6rpg and 4.0apg in the 24 games.
He used to play for the British national team
two years ago.

#10. Power forward Tafari Toney (203-86, currently plays in France), who plays in the French ProB (second division) couldn't help Charleville-Mezieres (6-8) in their last game on Friday. Despite Toney's very good performance Charleville-Mezieres was defeated 113-105 in Boulogne by the higher-ranked SO Maritime (#6).
He was the second best scorer with 20 points. Toney also added 5 rebounds and dished 3 assists.
Toney has reliable stats this season: 11.8ppg, 7.1rpg, 1.8apg and 1.6spg.
He is a naturalized American.
Toney is a former international player as four years ago he still played for the British senior national team.
He used to play for Newcastle Eagles in British league.

#11. Former international forward Ashley Hamilton (201-88, is currently at the American university) contributed to an easy victory against the Morgan State University 79-62 in the NCAA on Thursday night.
Hamilton scored 20 points and grabbed 7 rebounds.
He averaged so far 11.8ppg, 7.1rpg, 1.8apg and 1.6spg.
Hamilton used to play for the British national team
two years ago.

#12. Former international forward Laurence Ekperigin (201-88, college: Le Moyne, currently plays in Italy) contributed to a FCM Ferentino's surprising victory against the third-ranked Givova Scafati 89-75 in the Italian Lega2 (second division) in Sunday night's game.
He recorded 12 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists in 30 minutes.
Ekperigin is currently second on the league's list of best rebounders with 10.8rpg.
He also averaged so far 15.5ppg and 1.8spg in the 12 games.
Ekperigin is a naturalized American.
He used to play for the British national team
back in 2011. Interesting that Ekperigin has never played in United Kingdom.

#13. Former U20 international guard Ben Mockford (188-89, currently plays college basketball in the States) helped St.Francis, NY edge the New Jersey Institute of Technology 89-87 in the NCAA last Sunday.
He scored 15 points.
This season Mockford has very high stats. He averages: 15.5ppg and 1.8spg.
Mockford used to play for the British U20 national team
four years ago.

#14. Former international power forward Ryan Richards (212-91, currently plays in Poland) managed to help Asseco Prokom Gdynia in a victory against the tenth-ranked Kotwica crushing them 85-61 in the Polish TBL on Saturday night.
He scored only 2 points in 2 minutes on the court.
This year Richards averages just 1.1ppg in the seven games.
He used to play for the British national team
back in 2011.

#15. International guard Kyle Johnson (195-88, college: LIU Brooklyn, currently plays in Italy) helped Sutor Montegranaro win their game against the league outsider VL Pesaro 93-78 in the Italian SerieA in Sunday night's game.
Johnson recorded 6 points.
He has averaged so far 7.2ppg and 3.3rpg.
Johnson is also in the roster of the British national team.

The list of other players, who all have British passport but never been selected to any of British national teams:

#1.Keith Rendleman (203-F-90, currently plays college basketball in the States), who plays in the NCAA could not help the NC-Wilmington in their last game. Despite Rendleman's very good performance the NC-Wilmington lost 60-72 on the road to the Campbell University.
He had a double-double by scoring 18 points and getting 11 rebounds in 30 minutes.
Rendleman plays fourth season for the team.
Rendleman is ranked eighth on the list of the top scorers in the league and also on the list of best rebounders (third place).
He has very reliable stats this year: 11.8ppg, 7.1rpg, 1.8apg and 1.6spg in the 16 games he played so far.

#2.Daryl Corletto (193-G-81, currently plays in Australia) managed to help New Zealand Breakers in a victory against one of league's weakest teams Cairns Taipans (4-9) 66-61 in the Australian NBL in Monday night's game.
He scored only 2 points in 21 minutes.
New Zealand Breakers (11-3) are placed first in the NBL.
It was his team's third consecutive victory in a row.
Corletto has averaged so far 7.4ppg and 1.3rpg in the 14 games.
He has a dual citizenship: British and Australian.

#3.Tommy Pereira (188-PG, currently studies in the States) was not able to help the Rider (1-1) in their game against the University of Delaware in the NCAA.
Pereira scored 7 points.
The Rider was defeated 73-66 in Newark, DE by the University of Delaware.
Pereira has averaged so far 7.4ppg and 1.3rpg.

#4.Mikey Manghum (188-G, is currently at the American university) was not able to secure a victory for the ORU in their game against the University of Memphis in the NCAA.
He scored only 4 points and added 3 passes.
The ORU was defeated 72-57 in Memphis, TN by the University of Memphis.
Manghum plays fourth season for the team.
Manghum has averaged so far 7.4ppg and 1.3rpg.

#5.Sydney Donaldson (190-G, currently plays college basketball in the States), who plays in the NAIA couldn't help the College of Idaho in their last game. Despite his good performance his team was crushed 72-38 in Salt Lake City, UT by the University of Utah.
Donaldson scored 10 points, had 4 rebounds and made 3 blocks in 37 minutes.
Donaldson has averaged so far 7.4ppg and 1.3rpg in the 14 games.

The League tournament will continue next January 7th, after the Uruguayan Federation suspended Coirdon for 18 monts and Welcome for 8 months. Fans from both clubs were involved in a quarrel after a game among those teams. One woman was killed and two men injujred with shots, during the incident near the Cordon stadium. The thre las rounds for the LUB qualification will be played as follows:Monday 7Union Atletica-Bigua / Aguada-Montevideo / Bohemios-Trouville / Sayago- Defensor SportingTuesday 8Larre Borges- Tabare / Nacional - Malvin Wednesday 9Trouville-HebraicaThursday 10Bigua-Bohemios / Tabar Nacional / Defensor-Larre Borges / Malvin-Union Atletica / Montevideo-SayagoSaturday 12Hebraica-Bigua / Aguada-Olimpia / Union Atletica-Tabare / Bohemios- Malvin / Nacional-Defensor / Larre Borges-Montevideo

Saigon Heat continued their preparations for the upcoming ASEAN League season. They tipped off the test series against Sichuan Blue Whales with victory. The Heat clinched an 87:72 victory at the Tan Binh Stadium. Dior Lowhorn (201-F-87, college: USF) fired 28 points to pace the hosts. Saigon jumped to an early lead. They stayed in charge throughout the first half. The Heat recorded a 54:30 halftime advantage. The Blue Whales managed to restore the intrigue in the second half. They narrowed the deficit at 8-point mark in the second part of the game. However the Heat stayed calm and executed to perfection in the key moments to seal the victory. David Palmer (206-F/C-86, college: N.Kentucky) delivered 21 points and 12 rebounds for the winners. Philip Morrison provided 20 points for the home team. Zhang Zeng Hu responded with 20 points for Sichuan.

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Women News

Spartans were crowned double champions - by Eurobasket News

Spartans were crowned double champions after winning both the men's stream of the Botswana Basketball League and the National Championships. Police V did likewise in the women's stream. However, the code was blighted by lack of sponsorships as both competitions did not carry prize-monies. Botswana teams made their debut at the continental championships when Troopers and BDF V played at the Club Championships held in Mozambique. But the two teams received thrashings from their counterparts.Courtesy of: http://basket-in-africa.blogspot.com

The game started off with a fast and furious pace, with both teams trading baskets, Lynx leader April Ebanks was unstoppable as was the Comet's Chloe Powery; the Comets took a four point lead in the first quarter, only to see that lead to diminish to just 1 point by half time.

The second half was much like the first, neither team backing down from the challenge and neither team giving up; the Comets outscored the Lynx by just 1 basket and althought the Lynx came back with a vengence in the 4th quarter, Powery and O'Connor's Scoring kept their team ahead until the final whistle was blown and the Comets held on to a nail biting 3 point lead to end the game and capture their historic first championship for the under 19 competition.

Talented Australian Elizabeth Cambage (203-C-91) had a very impressive game in the last round for league's leader Zhejiang and that's her to receive a Asia-basket.com Player of the Week award for round 20.The 21-year old center had a double-double of 59 points and ten rebounds, while her team beat Shenyang (#5, 12-8) 115-101. It allowed Zhejiang to jump to the first place in the Chinese WCBA. They would have been even better if they hadn't lost a few games earlier this season. Zhejiang has a very solid 15-5 record, but they cannot be too comfortable about keeping top position. Cambage turned to be Zhejiang's top player in her first season with the team. Cambage has impressive league stats. She is in league's top in points (2nd best: 35.1ppg), rebounds (6th best: 10.0rpg) and averages solid 2.7bpg and 79.8% FGP.

The second most remarkable performance in last round's games was 24-year old American power forward Jayne Appel (193-F/C-88) of Henan. Appel impressed basketball fans with a double-double of 40 points and 21 rebounds. Of course she lead Henan to another comfortable win 95-77 over slightly lower-ranked Heilongjiang (#12, 3-17) being unquestionably team leader. The game was between two teams which are definitely not main contenders for the title. Henan keeps 11th position. Her team is not often considered as one of the league's best with a mere 6-14 record. Appel is a newcomer at Henan and it seems she did not have too much trouble to become one of team's leaders. She belongs to the best scorers in the league with 27.6ppg (#3). She also registered 15.5 boards per game.

The third best performed player last round was international forward LiJie Miao (178-F-81) of Shenyang (#5). Miao got into 30-points club by scoring 35 points in the last round. She went also for sixteen assists. Despite Miao's great performance Shenyang lost 101-115 to the higher-ranked Zhejiang (#1, 15-5). But her team cannot count on just a single shooter as she also needs help of the other teammates. The last thing Shenyang needs is to lose another game like this one. They lose more and more distance to the top teams. Their record is 12 victories and 8 lost games. Miao has a great season in China. After 20 games, she made it on the list of the league's leaders in points with 24.3ppg (6th best) and assists with 7.0apg (best passer). She also has FGP: 50.8% and 3PT: 42.6%.

The Player of the week is choosen based on efficiency calculation, but also including game result, importance of the game, if played recorded double-double/triple-double, etc.The efficiency formula is a combination of various formulas used by different basketball organizations/leagues. We got involved many basketball scouts and journalists to assure it's accuracy.The formula: 1.5*PTS + 3*(REB+AST+ST+BL-TO) - 2*BSAG - 4*PF + 3*PFRV + 4*(2FGPM+3FGPM) + 1.5*FTM - 3*(2FGPA-2FGPM) - 3*(3FGPA-3FGPM) - (FTA-FTM)

The former EL women champ, is still trying to find the right way to reach the top again. Having recently decided to go in a different direction with the appointment of head coach Victor Lapena, Perfumerias Avenida are certainly ready for a new chapter after deciding to terminate the contract of Nicole Powell (188-G/F-82, agency: LBM Management).

One of the standout performers in the competition last season, her summer switch to Salamanca from Wisla Can-Pack looked to be a real coup on paper, with the club hoping the American would spearhead their tilt at making the post-season

However in reality, it has turned out to be a hugely underwhelming relationship, with Avenida undoubtedly suffering from some under-par performances from the forward who has averaged a mediocre 9.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game in a bitterly disappointing EuroLeague Women Group C campaign.

This is a far cry from her first stint with the club when she poured in 17.3 points per game and impressed so much that she was crowned a Euroleague Women All Star.Having not played in the last game at CCC Polkowice, the club has decided to cut ties with the player and cancel her contract, citing off-court disciplinary reasons as being the main foundation for the decision.

Meanwhile on a more positive note, Coach Lapena has now taken up his position and described Salamanca as being "the best possible place for basketball in Spain" and also added that he wants to "earn the respect of my players since that's the most important factor."

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ISRAEL

Shields' 23 points give her Player of the Week award - by Eurobasket News

27-year old shooting guard Ashley Shields (180-SG-85) had a very impressive game in the last round for league's best team Maccabi Ashdod and receives a Eurobasket.com Player of the Week award for round 10.She had the game-high 23 points adding five rebounds and two assists for Maccabi Ashdod in her team's victory, helping them to beat H.R. Le-Zion (#9, 2-7) 82-69. It allowed Maccabi Ashdod to consolidate first place in the Israeli D1. They maintain perfect record without any lost game in the league. It's already very far into the season and Maccabi Ashdod keeps perfect 9 -0 record. It's Shields' second year at Maccabi Ashdod and it's hard to imagine this team without her. SW Tennessee State CC graduate has very impressive stats this year. Shields is in league's top in points (3rd best: 21.1ppg), assists (3rd best: 4.9apg) and averages solid 3.8spg,59.1% FGP and 40.9% from behind 3-point line.

Second best performed player last round was Charde Houston (185-F-86, agency: LBM Management). She is American forward in her first season at Maccabi Ashdod. In the last game Houston recorded impressive 21 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists. Of course together with Shields she helped Maccabi Ashdod with another comfortable win 82-69 over the lower-ranked H.R. Le-Zion (#9, 2-7) being unquestionably team leader. Of course Maccabi Ashdod still keep the league's top spot. She plays for the best team in the league and Maccabi Ashdod managed to win all 9 games keeping perfect record. Houston is a newcomer at Maccabi Ashdod and quickly became one of team's most reliable players. She belongs to the best scorers in the league with 18.0ppg (#8). She also registered 7.3 boards per game.

Third place about best performers goes to guard Tiffany Hayes (177-G-89) of H.R. Le-Zion (#9). Hayes showcased her all-around game by recording 24 points, five rebounds and five assists in the last round. Despite Hayes' great performance H.R. Le-Zion lost 69-82 to the league's current leader Maccabi Ashdod (#1, 9-0). But her team cannot count on just a single player as she also needs help of the other teammates. H.R. Le-Zion can only dream about fighting for top spots in the league. They have extremely bad season and 2-7 record places them at the very bottom of the standings. Too bad for Hayes she does not play for a better team. But maybe if she did, her season stats would not be that high. Hayes has individually a great season in Israel. After only 9 games, she made it on the list of the league's leaders in points with 19.0ppg (5th best).

The Player of the week is choosen based on efficiency calculation, but also including game result, importance of the game, if played recorded double-double/triple-double, etc.The efficiency formula is a combination of various formulas used by different basketball organizations/leagues. We got involved many basketball scouts and journalists to assure it's accuracy.The formula: 1.5*PTS + 3*(REB+AST+ST+BL-TO) - 2*BSAG - 4*PF + 3*PFRV + 4*(2FGPM+3FGPM) + 1.5*FTM - 3*(2FGPA-2FGPM) - 3*(3FGPA-3FGPM) - (FTA-FTM)

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KENYA

Women's Basketball Ranked 73rd - by Eurobasket News

KENYA are ranked 73rd in the world in the women's category according to the latest rankings released by International Basketball Federation (FIBA).The men, however, are not ranked with Angola taking the top spot in Africa.The rankings released after the 2012 London Olympics have USA women as number one, Australia are second while Russia come third.The top ranked African women's team are Mali who are 17th in the world.Senegal are second while Angola who were Africa's representative in the Summer Olympic Games are third. Rwanda ranked at number 10 in the continent lead the region.Kenya last participated in the Africa championships in Dakar, Senegal in 2007 where they finished last. The men have yet to feature in any continental spectacle since hosting the show in 1993 where they were fourth. Angola leads Africa in the men category with Nigeria second and Tunisia, who was in the London Games third.\Courtesy of: http://basket-in-africa.blogspot.com

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NAIA

No. 5 Westminster Rolls No. 4 Westmont, 62-29 - by Eurobasket News

By Josh Fisher, Westminster (Utah) Sports Information Director SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The fifth-ranked Westminster College (Utah) women's basketball team put on a defensive show in a 62-29 win over No. 4 Westmont (Calif.) in the final game of the GSAC Challenge on Saturday.

Westminster (12-2) held the host Westmont (8-3) to just 20.9 percent shooting and only nine baskets in the game. They matched a school record for fewest points allowed, 29, and set the record for fewest points allowed in a half by limiting the Warriors to just eight in the first half. The Griffins also forced 17 turnovers in the game and scored 23 points from them.

"I was really proud of the defensive effort tonight," head coach Shelley Jarrard said. "We felt we needed to step it up on that end tonight and once we did it just snowballed."

After each team traded baskets to start the game, Westminster put together a 16-0 run, anchored by five straight from Kelsi Wells and eight total during the stretch. In all they held the Warriors scoreless for over 11 minutes and forced them into 16 consecutive missed shots. The Griffins allowed just eight points in the first half, the fewest allowed in any half in school history, and led by 16 at the break.

The Griffins began the second half by scoring the first 10 points and 12 straight over a seven minute stretch spanning both halves. The run extended to 16-2 in the second half after a Cydney Tibbitts (6'1''-F) three at the 13:40 mark. Tibbitts scored nine points during the run and had six straight at one point. The Griffin reserves put the game away with a 7-0 run during a four-minute span to open up a 37-point lead with six minutes remaining in the game.

Offensively the Griffins were sharp as well. They finished the game by shooting 50 percent from the floor and made 7-of-17 from beyond the arc (41.2 percent). Westminster had 16 assists on the 25 made field goals and went 5-of-6 at the foul line. They also controlled the glass with a 33-28 advantage and had a 17-8 advantage in bench scoring.

Wells finished the game with a career-high 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting. She scored 13 of those points during the first half and she also grabbed six rebounds (three offensive) and made three from beyond the arc. Tibbitts added 15 points while grabbing a team-best eight rebounds. Every player scored for the Griffins except Nicole Yazzie who had a string of 110 consecutive games with at least one point come to an end.

"We really needed Kelsi to have this kind of game for us," Jarrard said. "She is capable of scoring and she was key for us tonight."

"If you would have told me that we would go 12-2 against the schedule we have played I wouldn't have believed it," Jarrard said of the start to the season. "I am extremely proud of what we have done so far this season."

With the non-conference slate of games complete Westminster now moves into Frontier Conference action after the first of the year. They begin the new year in Lewiston, Idaho for a game at Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) on Jan. 3 at 6:30 p.m.Courtesy of: http://www.naia.org

By Rich Tortorelli, Oklahoma City Sports Information Director SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Oklahoma City University dismantled Westmont (Calif.) 80-48 on Friday at Murchison Gymnasium in the GSAC Challenge in a clash of top 10-ranked teams in NAIA Division I women's basketball.

Kayla Mackenzie (5'6''-G), a junior from Peoria, Ariz., topped the defending national champion Stars with 15 points. Eighth-ranked OCU improved to 7-2, while fourth-rated Westmont went to 8-2.

Lauren Gober, a senior from Newcastle, Okla., posted 14 points, six rebounds and three steals, while Desiree Jeffries, a senior from Oklahoma City, collected 12 points, five rebounds and two steals for the Stars.

Westmont committed 30 turnovers and managed 37.2 percent shooting from the field (16-of-43). OCU pocketed 16 steals while limiting itself to 12 turnovers of its own. The Stars created a 36-10 margin in points off turnovers and 40-12 advantage in points in the paint.

OCU held Westmont's Tugce Canitez to 10 points, 16 rebounds, two assists and two steals on 4-for-10 shooting from the floor. She registered seven turnovers before fouling out. Canitez, a 6-foot-2 senior from Izmir, Turkey, had set Westmont's single-game record with 43 points in her last outing Dec. 15 against William Jessup (Calif.). Canitez entered the game averaging 22.0 points a game to rank second in the NAIA in scoring.

"We played with great team chemistry and passion on both ends of the floor," OCU coach Latricia Trammell said. "I was very proud of our effort and determination."

Canitez had four points as Westmont built a 7-2 early lead. OCU erased its deficit with a 12-0 run. Jeffries contributed four points during that spurt as her jumper gave the Stars an 8-7 edge with 13:16 left in the first half.

MacKenzie's steal and breakaway bucket capped the run, providing OCU a 14-7 lead at the 10:36 mark.

The Stars increased their advantage to 32-11 with the aid of 17 unanswered points. OCU held Westmont without a point for 5:40. MacKenzie scored eight points during that time. She bookended the OCU surge with a jumper with 8:33 to go and tallied a lay-in with 2:53 remaining in the period.

Ravven Brown's jump shot put the Stars ahead 61-26 with 9:47 left in the game for OCU's biggest advantage of the game.Courtesy of: http://www.naia.org

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NCAA1

WAC Women's Basketball Recaps - Dec. 31 - by Eurobasket News

Denver 90, UT Arlington 52Denver held UT Arlington to just 20 second half points en route to a 90-52 win at Hamilton Gymnasium Monday. With the win, the Pioneers improve to 6-7 overall and 1-1 in the WAC. The Mavericks fall to 3-9 on the season and 1-1 in WAC play.

DU shot 49 percent from the field, 46 percent from three-point range and 76 percent from the free throw line on the game. UTA connected on 34 percent from the field, nine percent from downtown and 69 percent from the charity stripe. The Pioneers domninated the boards, 46-33.

Quincey Noonan led a group of five DU players in double-digit scoring with 16 points. Maiya Michel (5'11''-F-92) added 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Morgan Van Riper-Rose finished with 14 points.

Laula Suleiman paced the Mavericks with nine points.

UTSA 57, San Jose State 54San Jose State went on an 18-4 run in the final six minutes to reduce a 17-point deficit to three, but a three-point attempt with six seconds left rimmed out and UTSA claimed a 57-54 win over SJSU Monday in The Event Center. With the win, the Roadrunners improve to 7-6 on the season and 1-1 in the WAC. The Spartans drop to 4-9 overall and 1-1 in conference play.

UTSA shot 39 percent from the field, 35 percent from three-point range and 56 percent from the free throw line on the game. The Spartans connected on 42 percent from the field, 33 percent from downtown and 82 percent from the charity stripe on the game. Both teams grabbed 30 boards.

Simone Young led the Roadrunners with 12 points, while Cori Cooper added 11.

Riana Byrd paced SJSU with 12 points, followed by Classye James (5'8''-G-92) with 11 and Emily Schill with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

New Mexico State 71, Louisiana Tech 67New Mexico State built a six-point halftime lead and held on for a 71-67 win over Louisiana Tech Monday. With the win, the Aggies improve to 7-5 on the season and 1-1 in the WAC. The Lady Techsters fall to 5-7 on the year and 1-1 in conference play.

NM State shot 46 percent from the field, 32 percent from beyond the arc and 72 percent from the free throw line.The Lady Techsters connected on 40 percent from the field, 40 percent from three-point range and 50 percent from the charity stripe in the loss. LA Tech edged the Aggies on the boards, 39-37.

Utah State 82, Texas State 69Utah State captured its third-straight win, an 82-69 victory over Texas State Monday at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.The Aggies move to 5-8 overall and 2-0 in the WAC with the win. The Bobcats fall to 6-6 on the season and 0-2 in WAC play.

USU shot 42 percent from the field, 40 percent from three-point range and 84 percent from the free throw line in the win. The Bobcats connected on 36 percent from the field, 35 percent from beyond the arc and 52 percent from the charity stripe. The Aggies out-rebounded Texas State 48-41.

THE BASICS: Junior Robyn Parks recorded her fifth double-double of the season with a game-high 24 points and 11 rebounds, and led five VCU players in double-figure scoring as the Rams earned a dominating 82-47 victory over visiting Maine on Tuesday afternoon. It was the Rams' second win over the Black Bears this season as VCU picked up a 74-58 win in Orono on Nov. 24.

HOW IT HAPPENED:A layup by Danielle Walczak (6'1''-F-92) gave Maine (1-12) a narrow 6-4 advantage less than three minutes into the game but it was the last time the Black Bears would lead as VCU (7-7) responded with an 18-6 run, built a 22-12 lead at the 9:01 mark, and took control from there.The Rams led by as many as 13 points on two occasions the rest of the half before back-to-back triples from Courtney Anderson and Liz Wood made it a seven-point game with 1:49 to go before the break.VCU, which eventually took a 35-24 lead into the locker room, put the game out of reach with an impressive start to the second period. After Corinne Wellington cut the Black Bears' deficit to 37-29 with 18:02 showing, the Rams responding with a 43-12 surge over the next 15 minutes and built its largest lead, 80-41, with 3:02 to go.VCU held Maine to eight second-half field goals, including just three during the first 11 minutes.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:VCU recorded 21 steals (five shy of the school's single-game record) and dished out 26 assists (three away from the program's single-game mark). The Rams also forced 27 Maine turnovers.Senior Carleeda Green and freshman Kaneisha Atwater (5'7''-G) combined for 14 assists and just two turnovers at the point guard position. The duo also provided 24 points and six steals.Five VCU players scored in double figures for the second time this season. In addition to Parks' game-high 24 points, freshman Janniina Koivunen chipped in a career-best 14, Atwater finished with 13, senior Robyn Hobson added 12 and Green recorded 11. In all, nine different players scored for the Rams.Junior Shekinah Henry, who finished with 10 rebounds, logged her fourth double-digit effort on the glass this year.VCU's 47 second-half points were as many as Maine scored the entire game. It was also the third time this season the Rams held an opponent to under 50 points and the seventh time to fewer than 60. VCU is now 7-0 when allowing less than 60 points in a game.The Rams registered a season-high five blocks.VCU won its second straight game at home and improved to 4-2 inside the Verizon Wireless Arena this year.Tuesday marked VCU's second New Years Day contest in program history.

WHAT'S AHEAD: VCU hosts Youngstown State on Friday, Jan. 4 in its final non-conference game of the season. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. The Rams then compete in their first-ever Atlantic 10 contest Jan. 12 at Saint Louis before traveling to Temple on Jan. 16. Check VCUAthletics.com for complete game coverage.Courtesy of: http://www.vcuathletics.com

Texas A&M Rings in the New Year with 80-57 Victory Over Rice - by Eurobasket News

COLLEGE STATION - Texas A&M opened 2013 in a similar fashion to how 2012 ended, with an impressive offensive performance led by Junior Kelsey Bone. The Aggies were victorious over the Rice Owls by a score of 80-57 Tuesday afternoon.

Bone continued her torrid pace of play leading the game in both points and rebounds with 24 points and 14 rebounds. Tuesday's performance was Bone's fifth double-double of the season and 19th of her career. The Houston native nearly had her first career first half double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds at the break. During Bone's seven-game hot streak she is averaging 23.9 points and 10.1 rebounds per game, having scored at least 15 points and pulling down at least seven rebounds in each game over the stretch. Bone now ranks second in the SEC in both scoring (18.1) and rebounding (9.4) on the season.

The Aggies jumped out to a quick 8-2 lead in the first two minutes of the game with Senior Adrienne Pratcher scoring the first four A&M points. The run continued over the next four minutes when the Aggies led 20-6 with 14:33 remaining in the game. Freshman Courtney Williams and Courtney Walker combined for eight points in the run.

The Aggies scored 49 points in the first 20 minutes for a new season high in first half points, having led 49-30 at the break. During the opening period A&M controlled the points in the paint outscoring the Owls 32-16 and owned a 23-4 advantage in points off of turnovers. Pratcher had an impressive first 20 minutes with four points and a game-high eight assists. At the intermission Senior Kristi Bellock (6'1''-F-90) was 4-of-5 from the floor for eight points and three rebounds.

"The offense in the first 15 minutes was as good as I've seen it all season," Head Coach Gary Blair said. "We had all five players contributing. It's starting to come together hopefully at the right time. I'm pleased with our effort. Bone and Gilbert were terrific inside."

Rice opened the second half with a 6-2 run to cut the Aggie lead to 15, but the Owls would get no closer for the remainder of the game. In the second half Bone controlled the paint going 5-of-7 from the floor and 2-of-2 from the free throw line for 12 points. After the break A&M continued dominating inside with a 26-14 advantage of points in the paint and outscored the Owls 10-1 in points off turnovers.

Pratcher's impressive night of 10 points and nine assists versus only one turnover catapulted her to the lead in the SEC for assist-to-turnover ratio (3.1). Spearheaded by Pratcher's play the Aggie offense continued the trend of sharing the basketball having tallied 18 assists against Rice. Tuesday's game marked the fifth straight game with at least 18 assists for the A&M offense, the Aggies are averaging 21.4 over that stretch. During the stretch Pratcher has had at least six assists in each game and has averaged 8.4 assists per game over the last five games.

Bellock continued her efficient play this season ending the game with 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting along with four rebounds and three assists. Junior Karla Gilbert also scored in double figures with 12 points along with five rebounds, two assists and two blocks in 20 minutes off the bench.

The Aggies will return to Reed Arena to open SEC play against Alabama on Thursday at 8 p.m. The game will be the second part of a basketball double-header with Men's Basketball playing at 5:30 p.m. Thursday will continue the Half-Price Holiday Hoops promotion along with inaugural SEC t-shirts being handed out at the game.Courtesy of: http://www.aggieathletics.com

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NCAA3

Blugold Women's Basketball Comes up Short to Capital - by Eurobasket News

COLUMBUS, Ohio (Blugolds.com) While the UW-Eau Claire women's basketball team trailed the entire first half, the Blugolds took a lead early in the second half but couldn't hold on as Capital University (Ohio) went on to defeat the Blugolds 62-54 in the Capital Center today.

Capital struck first and held the Blugolds scoreless over the first two minutes. Capital increased its lead steadily during the 10 minutes and held a nine point lead (17-8). But the Blugolds were able to get back into the game and trailed by just one point (27-26) by halftime.

In the second half, Teenie Lichtfuss (Fr.-Oshkosh, Wis./Lourdes) hit a three-point less than two minutes in to give the Blugolds their first lead of the day. But with over 16 minutes remaining, Capital took the lead for good. The Blugolds were held scoreless over a seven minute stretch as Capital took a 40-31 advantage.

After Capital got up by 13 with 2:30 left, the Blugolds used a 7-0 run to get within six but that was as close as Eau Claire would get as Capital handed the Blugolds their first loss since December 12.

Sarah Bingea (Sr.-Delano, Minn.) led the Blugolds with 18 points while Lichtfuss added 13. Bingea and two others led the team with six rebounds apiece.

Capital narrowly outshot the Blugolds from the field, 39 percent (23-for-59) to 38.6 percent (22-for-57). The Blugolds finished with four three-pointers while Capital had seven.

Eau Claire falls to 7-6 on the season while Capital improves to 9-3.

The Blugolds, who played their three games in Ohio, will be back in action Thursday when they take on UW-Stout in Menomonie. The game is part of a doubleheader with the men and it will get underway about 8 p.m.Courtesy of: http://d3hoops.com

Worcester, Mass. - Freshman guard Christina Raiti (Plainview, N.Y.) came off the bench to post all of her 16 points after halftime, including the go-ahead bucket on her fourth three-pointer of the second stanza with 20 seconds left, to lead the Trinity College Bantams to a 68-64 victory over the Johnson and Wales University Wildcats on the second day of the WPI Women's Basketball Holiday Classic this afternoon. Trinity improves to 6-4, having dropped its opener in the event yesterday, 50-45, against the host Worcester Tech Engineers, and ends a two-game losing streak. The Wildcats fall to 3-7.

With 8:18 to go in the game, Trinity first-year Mackenzie Griffin (Stamford, Conn.) made a free throw and sophomore forward Hannah Brickley (Melrose, Mass.) drained a short jumper after the Bantams had rebounded Griffin's miss on the second foul shot to put Trinity ahead for the first time in the second half, 48-45. The lead would change hands ten more times in the waning minutes of the game. In the final two minutes, the Wildcats took a 62-61 lead after making just one of four straight tries from the charity stripe, but Raiti hit a pair of free throws to give the advantage back to the Bantams. Wildcat senior guard Marina Millian (Monroe, N.Y.) converted a layup from the left side on the ensuing Johnson and Wales possession, but Brickley drove the lane and dished to Raiti in the left corner for the clinching field goal, and the Bantam did not yield a decent shot attempt on the the final Wildcat offensive trip. Raiti hit two more from the foul line with less than a second on the clock to account for the 68-64 final tally

In the first half, Trinity took a 13-12 lead after junior guard Abby Hancock (Casco, Maine) fed rookie forward Ellie MArtin (Westport, Conn.) for a layup as the shot clock expired, but four free throws from Wildcat junior guard Jenna Juron (Burnt Hill, N.Y.) and a three-pointer from guard Chrissy Toth (Queens, N.Y.) sparked a 10-1 run heading into the final minutes of the half. Trinity missed three free throws late, as the Wildcats finished out the half with a 28-22 advantage.

With 52 fouls committed in the game the teams combined to shoot 74 free throws. Despite the Wildcats holding the advantage, shooting 69.2% from line to Trinity's 57.1% and 26 Bantam turnovers, the Bantams prevailed thanks to a 43-30 rebounding advantage and clutch shooting from the field and the line down the stretch. Raiti finished 4-for-5 from three-point range and added three assists, and a blocked shot. Junior forward Shantel Hanniford (Nantucket, Mass.) added 12 points and six boards, while Brickley added 11 points and eight rebounds, and junior center Emily Dixon (Norwood, Mass.) scored 10 points. Juron put up 14 of her 16 in the first half and shot an impressive 10-for-11 from the free throw line. In the first half, it was Juron's perfect 10-of-10 free throws that paced her team to an impressive 81.3 shooting percentage from the line in the first stanza. Toth tallied 12 points and nabbed four steals. Marina Millian (Monroe, N.Y.) added 12 and hauled in eight boards.Courtesy of: http://d3hoops.com

TAVERNIER, Fla. Jumping out to a 20-6 lead in the first half, UMass Boston (9-2) cruised from there to defeat Fitchburg State (5-5), 76-39, to win the Key Largo Classic at Coral Shores High School. Freshman forward Olivia Murphy (Canton, Mass.) was named tournament MVP after recording a double-double in both games in the event.

Murphy finished the contest with 21 points and 10 rebounds, to notch her fifth career double-double in just 11 games. Also making the All-Tournament Team for UMass Boston was Lauren Perra (Taunton, Mass.), who had 13 assists and 10 points in the championship, and Andrea Suffredini (Milford, Mass.), who had a game-high 23 points with five three-pointers. Perra's 13 assists were a career-high and were enough to give the sophomore guard her first career double-double.

Sophomore forwards Kirsten Morrison (North Reading, Mass.) and Brittany Moore (Billerica, Mass.) joined with Murphy to dominate the paint. The Beacons pulled down 15 of their 51 rebounds on the offensive end and poured in 30 points in the paint. Morrison finished the game with 10 points and nine rebounds, while Moore added eight points off the bench.

Amy Fahey joined the three Beacons on the All-Tournament Team for Fitchburg State, putting together 21 points in a win over Elmira Sunday.

The win gives the Beacons their second tournament title of 2012, after UMass Boston earned their first UMass Boston Tip-Off Tournament Title since 2007. It also signified the Beacons second victory over the Falcons this year, after the Beacons downed Fitchburg State 70-67 November 20.

Dolphins of Lagos on New Year Eve emerged the female category winners of the 12th edition of the Mark D' Ball Basketball Tournament in Otukpo after beating defending champions, Pearls in an all Lagos derby by 33- 24 basket.Tournament's Most Valuable Player, Olatokunbo Olasehinde was the heroine of Dolphins triumph as contributed 12 points from the three point throw in the all action packed final played at the Otukpo Sports Arena.Though Pearls took two of the four quarters, they were punished by poor defence and doggy shooting inside the paint as Dolphins who also secured two of the four quarters, were the better attacking side.Evelyn Akator, who emerged as the MVP last year, took it personal as she tried to rally Pears to rise to the occasion, but they failed to get to grip with the pace of the match and in particular could not make up from the free throw line where they could only convert 6- 15 throws.Dolphins chairman and coach Wale Aboderin, who has been running the team for 14 years, said he was delighted to win the tournament and praised his side for taking the game to Pearls with their offensive approach.Olasehinde who was the darling of the spectators said she had to work on her agility to make up for small size by giving more than 200 per cent to the team cause."I had to carry the burden on my head and make everybody happy by giving the team a New Year gift. It feels great coming here for the first time and beating the defending champions," the 21- year old said.The female final was a dress rehearsal to the big one as Blame it on Experience, comprising of a number of current and former Nigerian international players, defeated ASFAC of Benin Republic 84- 73 to retain their title.The Tigers players Ejike Ugboaja and Stanley Oguma and former international players, Osita Nwachukwu, Tunji Awojobi, Ogoh Odaudu and Igoche Mark, were pushed all the way but relied on their experience against the Benin Port Authority side.ASFAC coach, Favour Ahmedu, said that he was not disappointed to lose to the star studded Nigerian selection, adding that the match would serve as a learning curve for his side."It was a great experience to play against the Nigerian team that has played all over the world. We even surpassed our own expectation by reaching the final. We are trying to improve our team, though we won the Benin league back to back," said Nigerian-born Ahmedu.Courtesy of: http://basket-in-africa.blogspot.com

American Amber Harris (195-C/F-88) had an amazing evening in the last round for Bichumi, receiving a Asia-basket.com Player of the Week award for round 21.The 24-year old player had a double-double of 19 points and 16 rebounds, while her team edged out KB Stars (#4, 10-13) 61-58. The game was between two of the league's top four teams. Bichumi is placed at 3rd position in South Korean WKBL. Bichumi is a typical solid league team placed somewhere in the middle or a little bit lower in the standings. They need more victories to improve their 11-13 record. Harris turned to be Bichumi's top player in her first season with the team. Former Xavier University star has very solid stats this year. Harris is league's best scorer averaging so far 19.5ppg. Harris is in league's top in rebounds (2nd best: 11.5rpg) and averages impressive 2.0bpg.

The second best player in last round's games was another Bichumi's star - 24-year old former international center Seon-Hwa Lee (181-C-88). Lee had a very good evening with 25 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists. It was enough for Bichumi to edge slightly lower-ranked KB Stars (#4, 10-13) 61-58. It was definitely game of the week between two contenders to the title. Bichumi consolidated its place in top 3 of the standings. Her team is not often considered as one of the league's best with a mere 11-13 record. Lee is one of the most experienced players at Bichumi and similarly like Amber Harris has a reputation of one of team's most reliable players.

Third on the list of top players last round was center Yun-Ha Heo (183-C-79) of One FX (#6). Heo showcased her all-around game by recording 16 points, eleven rebounds (!!!) and four assists in the last round. Despite Heo's great performance One FX lost 52-66 to the higher-ranked Bichumi (#3, 11-13). But her team cannot count on just a single player as she also needs help of the other teammates. The chances of One FX not to end season at such low position in the league, however are less than slim as they have already lost 16 games, recording just seven victories. With bigger assistance of his teammates, Heo could try to bring One FX's a little bit higher in the standings. Heo has individually a great season in South Korea. After 23 games, she made it on the list of the league's leaders in rebounds with 8.3rpg (6th best) and assists with 2.9apg (9th best).

The Player of the week is choosen based on efficiency calculation, but also including game result, importance of the game, if played recorded double-double/triple-double, etc.The efficiency formula is a combination of various formulas used by different basketball organizations/leagues. We got involved many basketball scouts and journalists to assure it's accuracy.The formula: 1.5*PTS + 3*(REB+AST+ST+BL-TO) - 2*BSAG - 4*PF + 3*PFRV + 4*(2FGPM+3FGPM) + 1.5*FTM - 3*(2FGPA-2FGPM) - 3*(3FGPA-3FGPM) - (FTA-FTM)

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Perfumerias waive Powell - by Eurobasket News

Perfumerias Avenida Salamanca (LFB) waived 31-year old swingman Nicole Powell (188-77kg-82, college: Stanford, agency: LBM Management). In 8 LFB games she played this season she recorded 8.8ppg, 3.9rpg, 1.3apg and 1.4spg. Powell also played 7 games in Euroleague where she averaged 9.6ppg, 6.1rpg, 1.4apg and 1.4spg.The last summer she played at New York in WNBA. In 37 games she averaged 7.3ppg, 4.3rpg, 1.4apg and 1.3spg. She helped them to make it to the quarterfinals. Powell also played at Wisla Can-Pak in Polish PLKK that season. In 54 games last season she averaged 10.9ppg, 5.1rpg, 1.5apg and 1.3spg. She contributed to her team winning the league title and the cup. A very spectacular season in her career as she was voted to Eurobasket.com Polish PLKK All-Imports Team, 2nd Team and to the All-Star Game.In 2004 Powell was drafted by Charlotte Sting (WNBA) as #3 pick overall.The former Stanford University standout is in her ninth season in pro basketball.The list of the past achievements is quite long as Powell was voted Eurobasket.com All-Turkish TBBL Player of the Year and Eurobasket.com All-Turkish TBBL Import Player of the Year back in 2006.She is quite experienced player. Powell has played also professionally in Russia (CSKA Moscow), WNBA (Sacramento Monarchs), Italy (S. La Spezia) and Turkey (Fenerbahce).

By Eurobasket Data Center

Perfumerias waive Powell - by Eurobasket News

Perfumerias Avenida Salamanca (LFB) waived 31-year old swingman Nicole Powell (188-77kg-82, college: Stanford, agency: LBM Management). In 8 LFB games she played this season she recorded 8.8ppg, 3.9rpg, 1.3apg and 1.4spg. Powell also played 7 games in Euroleague where she averaged 9.6ppg, 6.1rpg, 1.4apg and 1.4spg.The last summer she played at New York in WNBA. In 37 games she averaged 7.3ppg, 4.3rpg, 1.4apg and 1.3spg. She helped them to make it to the quarterfinals. Powell also played at Wisla Can-Pak in Polish PLKK that season. In 54 games last season she averaged 10.9ppg, 5.1rpg, 1.5apg and 1.3spg. She contributed to her team winning the league title and the cup. A very spectacular season in her career as she was voted to Eurobasket.com Polish PLKK All-Imports Team, 2nd Team and to the All-Star Game.In 2004 Powell was drafted by Charlotte Sting (WNBA) as #3 pick overall.The former Stanford University standout is in her ninth season in pro basketball.The list of the past achievements is quite long as Powell was voted Eurobasket.com All-Turkish TBBL Player of the Year and Eurobasket.com All-Turkish TBBL Import Player of the Year back in 2006.She is quite experienced player. Powell has played also professionally in Russia (CSKA Moscow), WNBA (Sacramento Monarchs), Italy (S. La Spezia) and Turkey (Fenerbahce).

When Anne Donovan coached the USA to the gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, former Connecticut Sun coach Mike Thibault was one of her assistants. On Thursday, Donovan, 51, will be named the next coach of the WNBA's Connecticut Sun, replacing Thibault, who was fired after the 2012 playoffs after 10 seasons with the team. Donovan, currently coach of Seton Hall, will be introduced at a press conference Thursday at 3 p.m. at the Mohegan Sun. It is not known whether Donovan will finish the season with Seton Hall or immediately resign. The WNBA's 2013 training camp does not begin until after the NCAA Final Four in April. Donovan has already coached four other WNBA teams: the Indiana Fever, Seattle Storm, Charlotte Sting and New York Liberty. Donovan won the 2004 WNBA championship in Seattle and is a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield. After the Olympics, Donovan joined the Liberty as an assistant coach in the spring of 2009, then took over as interim head coach on July 31, 2009 when Patty Coyle was fired. Donovan became coach of Seton Hall in March 2010, but completed the WNBA season in New York before beginning her duties with the Pirates. Seton Hall has struggled mightily in the Big East, before Donovan and during her two-plus seasons, winning just 21 of 53 regular season games and going 2-30 in the conference since she took over. With the Sun, Donovan will be reunited with Kara Lawson, who played for her in Beijing. Lawson, who signed a two-year extension with Connecticut last season, played an instrumental role in the USA's win in the gold medal game against Australia. "There was never any doubt in my mind that she belonged on this team," Donovan said in the press conference after the game. "I pushed my rear end off to get Kara Lawson on this team. She has been solid gold for us every time she has taken a trip for us: Her leadership, her enthusiasm and her energy whether she is on the bench or on the floor ... besides the fact the girl can play basketball. She knocked in some big shots tonight. " Meanwhile, Thibault, one of the most successful coaches in WNBA history, will take over the Washington Mystics as their coach and general manager. Thibault was in New York Wednesday scouting St. John's vs. Delaware and refused comment on the news of Donovan's hiring. Donovan, 6 feet 8, had a magical college playing career at Old Dominion, leading the Lady Monarchs to the AIAW national championship in 1980. She was the first women's player to win the Naismith Award and finished her collegiate career with 2,710 points, 1,976 rebounds and 801 blocked shots. She was a three-time Olympian and earned gold medals as a player in 1984 and 1988 after the USA boycotted the 1980 games in the Soviet Union. Upon her retirement as a player, Donovan became an assistant at ODU from 19891995 and then head coach at East Carolina from 19951997. She moved to the pros briefly (1997-98) in the ABL before coming to the WNBA as an assistant coach for the expansion Indiana Fever. She served as the interim coach there while Nell Fortner lead the Olympic team with Geno Auriemma on her staff to the 2000 gold medal. Donovan, inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 1995, then took the Charlotte Sting to the 2001 WNBA Finals as head coach. In 2003, Donovan was hired as head coach of the Seattle Storm, inheriting a team with Lauren Jackson and Sue Bird. In 2004, after becoming director of player personnel, the Storm won the league championship.Courtesy of: courant.com